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Middle schooler dies after fire ant attack

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 12-year-old boy died after being attacked by fire ants while warming up during halftime of a South Texas middle school football game, and his heartbroken mom is asking why no medics were on hand who might have saved him.

Cameron Espinosa died days after being bitten multiple times by fire ants and suffering an apparent allergic reaction, officials said. 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.

“It’s been devastating to lose my baby that way,” heartbroken mom Josephine Limon told KRIS-TV. “My baby could be here if there were more trained personnel on the field, that could have, an EpiPen or something could have saved him.”

The game resumed after Cameron was taken away but was later halted when the severity of his condition became apparent, Williams said.

The boy was unaware that he was allergic to ants, and the school district had no record of allergies for the boy, she said.

Williams said school administrators are receiving suggestions on ways to memorialize Cameron.

“Students and teachers have been wearing green and white ribbons with the number 66 on them,” said Williams, referring to Cameron’s jersey number and the colors for Haas Middle School.