Man died after being unaware he was allergic to wasp stings

The wife of a Co Down man who died after he was stung by a wasp has spoken out about his sudden death and how he was unaware he had a severe allergy.

Eamonn Hogan from Kilcoo had just collected his youngest daughter Alexandra from school when tragedy struck on June 13 last year.

The 43-year-old was stung by a wasp and unbeknown to him, he had a severe allergy which caused him to go into anaphylactic shock.

He pulled over as he knew something was wrong and after getting out of the van, immediately collapsed.

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His daughter called family and was soon connected via 999 to ambulance control who stayed on the line with her.

An ambulance and the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team by air ambulance were dispatched as by-standers stopped and were able to provide CPR on Eamonn, until the arrival of emergency services.

Sadly, he died in hospital two days later.

To mark the first anniversary, Eamonn’s family wanted to highlight the work of the Air Ambulance service.

During a visit to the Air Ambulance, they also handed over a donation of £1,000 in his memory.

Eamonn’s wife, Corrina said, “We lost Eamonn so suddenly, it’s been a very difficult year.

“We are grateful that Eamonn had every possible chance and that me and our 4 children had a little time at hospital to be with him to say goodbye.”

Corrina said that the family wanted to highlight the importance of people carrying an EpiPen.

“Eamonn didn’t know that he had a wasp / bee sting allergy; we would also like to encourage anyone who has a known allergy to carry your EpiPen as this can be the difference between life and death,” she added.

Corinna also said she wanted to thank the bystanders who stopped to provide care to her husband, as well as the emergency services and staff in ICU for their “compassion, dignity and vital care”.

Kerry Anderson, head of fundraising at Air Ambulance, said, “It was lovely to meet with the Hogan family and our heartfelt thoughts continue to be with them, wishing them strength in their grief.

“We are all humbled that they have been able to think of others, giving hope to a future patient and family who need the services of Air Ambulance.

“It is only with continued support that the charity is able to play its part in sustaining this service, with a fundraising need of almost £7,000 every day.