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Farmer dies after being stung by wasps
21 Aug 2009A farmer died after being repeatedly stung by a swarm of wasps while working on his farm.
Mark Evison, 47, had been clearing a dyke on farmland in Ellerker, near South Cave, East Yorkshire, when he disturbed a wasps' nest.
He made a desperate phone call to his brother, saying, "The wasps have got me," before he collapsed and died.
Mr Evison's brother Paul, 50, said: "I was at a friend's house for tea when Mark rang so I shot round there and found him sitting in the kitchen. He had managed to get in there from the back. He still had his strimmer in his hand and his wellies on.
"He said, 'I don't feel well, Paul', and I asked him if he wanted a doctor but he said no so I told him to just sit still for a while.
"He then started slipping into unconsciousness so I rang 999 and they were excellent, here within 10 minutes. They gave him a shot of adrenaline but then said they were sorry but he was gone."
By the time the emergency services had reached Mr Evison he was already in the advanced stages of anaphylactic shock - a life-threatening allergic reaction. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Evison, who was not married and had no children, was allergic to wasps and had been stung two years previously, his brother said.
On that occasion, he was taken to Goole Hospital where he was given a shot of adrenaline and made a rapid recovery.
His brother, who lived and worked on Croft Garth Farm, in Mill Hill, with Mr Evison, said: "It's as if part of me has died. He wasn't just a brother to me, I looked to him for advice and everything. We were a small family and a really close family.
"It's going to be so hard to continue but we're going to try and keep going. We're going to be strong for Mark. That's what he would have wanted."
He also called the local community "unbelievable", adding: "They all loved Mark. They've been excellent and we've got a lot of strength from them. They've all rallied around."
Mr Evison's mother Daisy Williamson, 72, of Welton, who owns the Ellerker farm, said she was "devastated" over the death of her son.
"He was a fun loving lad. Nothing was trouble for him and he would do anything for anyone," she said.
"It will affect me dreadfully. I saw him every day. He used to come around every night.
"The two brothers worked together on the farm and Paul's just devastated. They were very close. There's a big hole in both our lives.
"He was very well known in the local area, the whole village is absolutely devastated."
Mr Evison's funeral will be held at 11am on Tuesday at St Anne's Church in Church Road, Ellerker.
