Man hospitalized after bee attack in Los Fresnos

LOS FRESNOS, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man was hospitalized after bees attacked him and a group while cleaning up trash Thursday afternoon.

Richard Hitchcox transported himself to Valley Regional Hospital in Brownsville after his group was attacked by bees while picking up tires and garbage scraps near Iowa Gardens Road in Los Fresnos.

According to Hitchcox's wife, Cynthia, EMS did not respond to the scene after her husband and the group were allegedly stung by hundreds of bees.

_{Photo of Richard Hitchcox after being attacked by bees. Photo Courtesy of his wife Cynthia}

"There are always three sides to every story. Our side, their side and the real side," Fire Chief Gene Daniels with the Los Fresnos Fire Department said.

Daniels addressed the conversation he had with EMS dispatch regarding the bee attack incident.

"On this particular call, I asked our dispatch if they [cleanup group] were being attacked and they said 'no,' that they stirred them [bees] up because they were cleaning up a lot," Daniels continued.

According to a contract agreement with the Cameron County Emergency Services, first responders within the contract, including Los Fresnos FD, are not allowed to kill bees during a bee attack call.

"If somebody's being attacked, we're gonna respond. But if they're just wanting us to go kill their bees, we don't do that," Daniels said. "They said they weren't being attacked but they had stirred the bees up. They were all in their car and they weren't being attacked. That's why we didn't go."

A second man in the group was also allegedly stung and drove himself to a nearby hospital, Cynthia said.

Hitchcox is expected to stay at Valley Regional Hospital until Friday, Cynthia told ValleyCentral.