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Incident Record

81-year-old Tom Mizell survives 1,000+ bee stings while mowing field near his vegetable stand

Tom Mizell, 81, was mowing a field near his roadside vegetable stand when a swarm attacked, temporarily blinding him. He jumped into a pond for refuge (bees continued stinging him underwater) before crawling out and reaching his wife and son's vehicle. He was hospitalized with over 1,000 stingers removed.

Record ID: TX-LIBERTY-2018-06XX
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This record is part of a first-pass incident research dataset. Records, categories, and source notes may be updated as additional information is reviewed and verified.
Date18-Jun
LocationRoadside vegetable stand, Tarkington, TX, Liberty, TX, United States
CountryUnited States
State / ProvinceTX
Record TypeAttack / Stinging Incident
Trigger / ActivityMowing / Yard Work
SeverityHospitalized - Critical
Bee ID StatusBee ID Unknown
Aggression ClassificationSevere defensive attack
Source Language

Incident Summary

Tom Mizell, 81, was mowing a field near his roadside vegetable stand when a swarm attacked, temporarily blinding him. He jumped into a pond for refuge (bees continued stinging him underwater) before crawling out and reaching his wife and son's vehicle. He was hospitalized with over 1,000 stingers removed.

Public-Safety Lesson

First Liberty County record in this dataset. Notable detail: like the Carefree, AZ case, illustrates that jumping in water does not stop a sustained attack.

Impact Flags

Human FatalityNo
Human HospitalizedYes
Animal FatalityNo
Responder InvolvedNo (self-rescued to family vehicle)

Source Information

Source: Newsweek / Houston Chronicle

Source Strength: B - Established News (Newsweek, citing Houston Chronicle)