Incident Record
Wheelchair user and dog attacked by killer bees; man stung 250+ times
John Fischer was attacked while riding a wheelchair-exercise bike with his dog; he was hospitalized for several days after more than 250 stings and the dog was stung more than 50 times.
Record ID: AZ-PINAL-2023-0520
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.
Date
5/20/2023
Location
Florence / Eloy area, AZ, Pinal County, AZ
State
AZ
Record Type
Attack / Stinging Incident
Trigger / Activity
Unknown / Needs Review
Severity
Hospitalization / Serious Injury
Bee ID Status
Reported Africanized
Aggression Classification
Serious Injury / Hospitalization
Incident Summary
John Fischer was attacked while riding a wheelchair-exercise bike with his dog; he was hospitalized for several days after more than 250 stings and the dog was stung more than 50 times.
Public-Safety Lesson
Limited mobility can sharply increase risk because standard advice to run may not be possible.
Impact Flags
Human Fatality
No
Human Hospitalized
Yes
Animal Fatality
No
Responder Involved
Yes
Source Information
Source: ABC15 / Newsweek
Source Strength: B - Established News / Officials Quoted