Last Wednesday, Cameron Espinosa, from Hass Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas, played his last game of football. Cameron, 13, was attacked by ants in the middle of a game at the Hass School. Cameron was warming up with his team during the half time when this attack took place. However, the game continued, but later suspended when the seriousness of the situation became evident.
Advertisement
Espinosa wasn’t aware that he was allergic to ants. On seeing the big fire ants, the kid started shouting and tried to flush away the ants with a bottle of water. He then lost consciousness and collapsed on the field. He was immediately rushed to the hospital where he passed away on Sunday, after spending four days in the intensive care unit of Driscoll Children’s Hospital.
Espinosa’s mother, Josephine Limon, was devastated and stated that the school should have had more trained personnel on hand. She said that something as simple as EpiPen could have saved her baby. She said that her son wanted to study medicine and also play football for college with his number, 66. She has engaged a lawyer to look into the matter. Moreover, several parents and school board members were outraged about the fact that the game continued despite the incident. Hector Salinas, a board member of Christi Corpus Independent School District, and a former baseball coach, stated that he noticed several ant piles when he stopped by the Hass field. Salinas intends to inspect all the sports fields in the district before the students are allowed back on the fields. He further stated that the school did not do their job well in taking care of the students and ensuring their safety. However, the school did not have any details on Espinosa’s allergy in their records. According to Dr. Stanley Fineman, the allergy was caused due to the venom injected by the ants. Fire ants are the only ants that inject venom. The allergic reaction to the sting varies from a rash or itchy bump to anaphylactic shock. Fineman also stated that in some people a single sting could pose life-threatening conditions.
Advertisement
The school suspended all the extra-curricular activities, and the principal stated that the football field will not be used until it had been treated for ants. The school will also relinquish Cameron’s jersey “66”. Cameron’s burial will take place on Thursday.
