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Incident Record

69-year-old Vietnam veteran Robert Zamarripa stung 200+ times while mowing near storage shed, collapses in RV

Robert Zamarripa was mowing his front yard without incident, then began feeling stings near his backyard storage shed. Struck by escalating pain, he sprayed himself with a hose (ineffective), then ran into his RV where his sister was, and collapsed. His sister's attempts to revive him failed before EMS arrived.

Record ID: TX-CAMERON-2026-04XX
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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.
Date26-Apr
LocationLa Feria, TX, Cameron, TX, United States
CountryUnited States
State / ProvinceTX
Record TypeAttack / Stinging Incident
Trigger / ActivityMowing / Yard Work
SeverityHospitalized - Critical
Bee ID StatusConfirmed Africanized (per bee removal expert Jimmy Lawrence quoted in same article)
Aggression ClassificationSevere defensive attack
Source Language

Incident Summary

Robert Zamarripa was mowing his front yard without incident, then began feeling stings near his backyard storage shed. Struck by escalating pain, he sprayed himself with a hose (ineffective), then ran into his RV where his sister was, and collapsed. His sister's attempts to revive him failed before EMS arrived.

Public-Safety Lesson

First La Feria, TX record. Recent (2026), well-sourced with named victim and expert quote on RGV's current bee-attack rate.

Impact Flags

Human FatalityNo
Human HospitalizedYes
Animal FatalityNo
Responder InvolvedYes - EMS (911 call)

Source Information

Source: MyRGV.com

Source Strength: B - Established Local News (MyRGV/The Monitor/Brownsville Herald), named victim