A Michigan man died Wednesday after he crashed his car into a house that was infested with so many bees rescuers could not get to him in time to save his life.
Right before the incident, 54-year-old Patrick Lee Muirhead suffered a medical emergency as he was driving westbound on M-52 in the village of St. Charles, The Saginaw News reported. Muirhead lost control of his vehicle, drove around a curve and continued straight into an abandoned home, the Saginaw County Sheriff's office told the newspaper.
Witnesses tried to rush towards the house to assist the driver, but were blocked by the swarm of honeybees unleashed by the crash.
"The house, we're being told, has not been occupied for many years," Lieutenant Randy Pfau told The Saginaw News. There were just large swarms of bees within the home. It was so infested, they couldn't get to him."
As Tri-Township firefighters and police rushed to the scene, bystanders were able to attach the car to a strap and tow it away from the home. Emergency responders administered medical treatment for the driver but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Some of the firefighters were bee experts employed by T.M. Klien & Sons Honey, a bee farm located in St. Charles. They called other bee experts to come and help contain the swarm by spraying them with a soap-like substance mixed with water, the newspaper reported.
"It covers everything," Tri-Township Chief Pat Harley told the newspaper. "It smothers them. We just basically foamed the whole thing down."
Authorities do not yet know the nature of the victim's medical emergency, but the bees are not believed to have contributed to his death. An autopsy is expected to be performed this week.
