[caption id="attachment_70536" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Boy Dies From Fire Ants, Family Was Unaware Of Allergy [/caption]Football Player Succumbs to Fire Ant Bites

A 13-year old eighth grade football player in Corpus Christi, Texas, has succumbed to the fire ant bites he received while playing a game last week.

Cameron Espinosa was a middle school student who had an apparent allergic reaction to the insect bites that resulted in his untimely death.

The boy used a water bottle to try to flush away the ants Sept. 11 before eventually losing consciousness said Lorette Williams, spokeswoman for the Corpus Christi Independent School District.

While medics are assigned to high school varsity football games in Texas, that is not the case with middle school games, Williams said. However, coaches are trained in first-aid and use of CPR and a defibrillator, she said. A defibrillator was used on Cameron at the field before he was taken to the hospital by ambulance, she said.

Speaking to KCTV5, Cameron's friends say he always had a smile on his face.

"He always had a smile on his face, always making us laugh on the sidelines. He was just, he was a heck of a football player and at least he passed away doing what he loved - playing football," said Cameron's teammate Jimmy Cedillo.

Fire ants sting their victim by injecting an alkaloid venom. Teammates as well as school officials expressed their deep sympathy at his expected passing and said he was an exuberant student who simply loved participating in the game of football.

His parents have sought legal counsel to determine whether or not they can bring an unlawful death action against the school district for allowing their son to be fatally harmed while playing football.

"The parents have a deep concern over what types of policies and procedures are in place at the school district regarding one responding to emergencies when children are at school, how the football fields are maintained, how pests like ants and insects are viewed by the school and what types of maintenance contracts they have," attorney Thomas Henry said.

Officials from the school district report that the condition of the football field was inspected for ants at the end of summer, just prior to heavy rainfall.

The attorney for Espinosa's parents says he wants to investigate what type of maintenance contract the school district uses in order to prevent ants and other insects from interfering with football play, in addition to discovering what policies are in place at the school when emergencies such as insect bites occur to students.

Original Story Below

12-year-old football player dies after allergic reaction to ant bites
Carmen Espinosa, 12, a football player at Paul R. Haas Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas died Monday after a severe allergic reaction suffered from fire ant bites. He used a water bottle to flush the ants off his skin but lost consciousness twice before he was transported to a nearby hospital.

Reportedly ant hills were scattered throughout the football field and the student was attacked during a half-time huddle. The game continued but was halted after school officials realized the eighth grader was seriously ill.

The incident occurred last Wednesday and the boy's condition worsened, resulting in placement on life support.

Reportedly, Corpus Christi school spokeswoman Lorette Williams said the boy didn't know he was allergic to ants and the school had no record of allergies, per the Associated Press.

Williams further stated medics are assigned to high school varsity football games but not middle schools. She also said coaches are trained in the use of a defibrillator, first aid and CPR and a defibrillator was used on Espinosa before he was taken to the hospital.

Haas Middle School canceled all sports and and extracurricular activities for the week and grief counselors will be available for students and staff.

On The Web:

Boy dies from fire ants
http://www.kctv5.com/story/23466064/boy-killed-by-fire-ants-while-playing-football

Boy dies from fire ants
http://msn.foxsports.com/football/story/cameron-espinosa-texas-football-player-12-dies-after-ant-bites-paul-r-haas-middle-school-091713