Survivor of a bee attack in Westcliff looks for her rescuer
WESTCLIFF – Friends Louise Whittaker and Bronwen Lee are seeking the identity of a Good Samaritan who assisted Whittaker when she was attacked by a swarm of bees by the Westcliff Stairs.
Hurlingham resident Louise Whittaker and Bronwen Lee from Parkwood, were on the Westcliff Stairs on Westcliff Ridge, near Woolston Road, on October 15 when a swarm of bees took the friends by surprise.
Lee managed to escape up the stairs but Whittaker was trapped by the swarm. “I was attacked and stung about a 100 times,” she said. “Bronwen, who was walking behind me, escaped the brunt of the attack, with 10 stings.”
Whittaker said she and Lee walked in the area every week. “I had a meeting earlier on the Friday, so we went slightly later than usual, at lunchtime.”
Screaming for help, as she tried to swat the bees away, Whittaker was desperate for some form of relief. This was when a good Samaritan, as Whittaker described her, came to the rescue. “She stopped her car and told me to get in. I was given a blanket to cover my head and the woman opened the car windows and as she drove, the bees were blown away.”
Whittaker eventually got hold of Lee who had contacted a friend from upper Westcliff for help. “I asked the stranger to take me to Netcare Milpark Hospital, which she did,” Whittaker continued. When they arrived, the woman advised her to go in and get the help she needed. “I was assisted immediately by hospital staff. Soon after, Lee arrived with her friend.” Both women were discharged a couple of hours later, after receiving treatment.
“I genuinely believe the woman saved my life but in the commotion, I didn’t get her name,” said Whittaker. “Adult humans can apparently withstand up to 1 000 bee stings if they aren’t allergic, but there are usually about 20 000 bees in a swarm. If I had been stuck there longer, I don’t know what would have happened to me.”
Whittaker and Lee are seeking the identity of their heroine, who they said was a middle-aged white woman in an SUV or double cab. “She did it because it was the right thing to do, not for acknowledgement or reward, but I want her to know how grateful I am.”
Do you know the identity of the good Samaritan? Send details to Louise Whittaker on 082 457 0892.
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