A man was killed Friday by a swarm of wasps that attacked him on a railroad track in Sarasota, Florida, My Fox Tampa Bay reported.

Christopher Nelson went into anaphylactic shock after suffering multiple stings when he kicked a hidden nest of yellow jackets on the railroad tracks at 19th Street and East Avenue, police said.

"These particular yellow jackets were underground on a portion of rail road tracks that aren't normally used," Captain Jerry Jensen of the Sarasota County Fire Department told the station.

Paramedics rushed the 47-year-old to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.

It's unclear how many times Nelson was stung by the yellow jackets, which are described as particularly volatile and will attack to defend themselves. Witnesses said there were thousands of yellow jackets, with many still attached to the unconscious victim by the time firefighters arrived.

"They had a hose line there to basically brush them off. Yellow jackets don't like water," Jensen told My Fox Tampa Bay.

An unnamed entomologist told the station it takes 1,500 stings to kill one adult. However, death can come fast if the person is allergic to the wasp venom. The expert warned against swatting yellow jackets in the event of a potential threat because they release chemicals letting the others know to launch an attack.

But the "best thing to do- of course if you can- is to run," veteran pest remover Mike McClain told WTSP.