San Diego Man Dies from Bee Attack

A man died after being attacked by bees in San Diego’s Valley Center area Thursday afternoon, officials from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.

Deputies and officials from the Valley Center Fire Department were called to the 12500-block of Montaya Drive and Lilac Knolls Road just before 2 p.m. to investigate reports of a man who had sustained numerous bee stings.

When officials arrived, they found a 67-year-old man suffering from stings, in medical distress. Medics rendered aid to the man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the bee attack victim had been working in his front yard when he was stung several times. No one else was injured in the incident.

Sgt. Jeff Lauhon said the man had been conducting a permitted controlled burn on his property, clearing out rubbish and brush, when the smoke may have disturbed a beehive in the area.

Lauhon said deputies had not determined how many times the man was stung.

The man’s son, Jamey Umland, spoke with NBC 7 and identified the victim as Bruce Umland. Jamey said his father – who had no known allergies to bees – was stung at least three times and seemed fine at first. He continued to work in the yard for a while before collapsing.

“[The smoke] roused a bunch of bees and next thing I know, he’s been stung a couple times, not feeling good,” Jamey explained. “It was downhill from there. I didn’t even have time. I called 911.”

Lauhon said the bees were gone by the time deputies arrived on scene and said the incident does not appear to be tied to a swarm of bees, just perhaps a few bees.

Lauhon said a fatal case like this is uncommon for the area.

“This is a very rare event for us here. Very rarely do we get these sort of calls," he said.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office will handle the follow-up investigation and determine the man’s exact cause of death. Deputies said the victim did have an existing medical condition, but did not disclose additional details on that.