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A bee attack, a rescue in minutes, and a report that circulated again on social media rekindled curiosity about a case that occurred in Arizona. The story involves a boy, paramedics, and a reference to the anime “Dragon Ball Z.”
Bee Attack in Arizona: What Is Known About the Case
An 11-year-old boy survived after being attacked by a swarm of Africanized bees in rural Arizona, United States, after receiving around 400 stings, according to reports released by family members and local authorities to the press at the time.
The incident occurred in 2017 and has circulated on social media again in recent days, driven by reposts of news articles and excerpts from interviews.
The boy is Andrew Kunz.
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At the time, he was rescued in the Safford area of Arizona and taken for medical treatment at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, a reference children’s hospital in the state.
According to what was published at the time, he received treatment and made a full recovery.
The story regained attention due to a detail reported by the boy himself: when describing how he dealt with pain and fear during the attack, he stated that he tried to take inspiration from a character from the anime “Dragon Ball Z.”
Playing with a Pellet Gun and a Hidden Beehive
The episode happened when Andrew was playing outdoors with a friend near where he lived.
According to reports published in local media, the two were using a pneumatic gun, a type of pellet gun, and shooting at old and rusty cars in the area.
At one point, a shot hit a beehive that was hidden in one of the vehicles.
From there, the bees emerged in large numbers and surrounded the boy.
In reports released after the rescue, authorities described that the swarm covered Andrew from head to toe.
The reports mention stings in various parts of his body, including his face, arms, and hands.
With the series of stings, he began to lose consciousness, according to what was reported by the rescuers.
Due to the severity, adults nearby called emergency services.
Teams were dispatched to the location to remove the boy from the area and take him for medical care.
Rescue Reported by Firefighters in Safford
The chief of the local Fire Department, Clark Bingham, was cited as one of the first to arrive.
In an interview at the time, he described the state in which he found the boy: “He was covered in bees, on his face, arms, and hands. It was pretty ugly,” he stated.
According to Bingham, he decided to remove Andrew immediately.
The firefighter also declared himself allergic to bee stings, which increases the necessary precautions in occurrences of this type.
Even so, he stated that he pulled the boy out of the area engulfed by bees and ran to a more distant point.
“I grabbed him by the arm and the belt, and we ran south, down the riverbed,” he reported.
From this movement, the boy was handed over to other teams and taken for medical care, according to what was reported.
Care at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Recovery
After being removed from the location, Andrew received initial care and was taken to a children’s hospital in Phoenix.
Information reported by teams and family members indicated that the trip to the capital took about three hours.
At the hospital, he underwent stabilizing treatment and treatment for the stings, according to what was reported at the time.
Family members reported that the boy showed swelling and visible signs of the stings and that he remained under medical observation until he improved.
Days later, according to the reports released, the family stated that he was recovering and could gradually resume his routine.
Less than two weeks after the attack, Andrew was already back in town, still in recovery, according to his mother.
Christina Kunz organized a barbecue to thank the teams involved in the rescue and care.
Commenting on the episode, she stated that the outcome could have been different.
“Everything would be different. We wouldn’t be having a barbecue, we would be having a funeral,” she said to local press at the time.
‘Dragon Ball Z’, Vegeta, and the Phrase That Viralized Again
With his recovery, an excerpt from the interviews given by the boy helped to amplify the repercussion of the case.
A fan of “Dragon Ball Z,” Andrew said he thought of Vegeta, a character known for scenes where he yells and “powers up” before facing adversaries.
In the anime, this type of transformation is represented as a form of concentration and release of energy.
When recounting what he experienced, Andrew stated he tried to reproduce this behavior during the attack as a way to stay conscious and endure the pain, according to what was recorded in the news reports of 2017.
When he woke up in the hospital, he summarized the experience in a phrase that has circulated strongly now: “My name is Andrew, but you can call me Vegeta. I survived 400 stings.”
The excerpt has been repeated in interviews and appears frequently when the episode is shared again.
In current reposts, many posts only reference the boy’s quote and images of the care, without revisiting the context of the rescue and the transfer to the hospital.
Earlier reports published at the time describe the sequence of the incident, the boy’s removal from the location, and his recovery following the treatment.
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