Alabama woman bitten by fire ants dies while planning mom’s funeral
SELMA, Ala. — Autopsy results are expected soon in the death of a woman who was severely bitten by fire ants while speaking to a friend about funeral arrangements for her mother, who died the previous day.
Dallas County Coroner Alan Dailey said Friday afternoon that Kalyn Rolan, 29, apparently suffered an allergic reaction on May 20 from numerous fire ant bites on both of her ankles and feet in Plantersville, a rural community about 25 miles north of Selma.
“Unfortunately she did not have anything to counteract the bites and the distance from where it happened to a hospital in Selma was just too much,” Dailey said.
He said Plantersville Volunteer Fire Department workers and an ambulance crew from Selma tried to resuscitate her “but one of the first things to happen in a situation like this is the airway passage closes up.”
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The coroner indicatedthe ants reportedly swarmed around Rolan’s feet and ankles as she tried to move away from a hay bale where she had been standing and talking to a friend about her mother’s funeral arrangements.
“Those red ants are a problem all over the South," Dailey said. "They’re mean, and by the time you know you’ve been bit once they are all over you.”
A relative said Rolan suffered from several allergies, including insects.
Rolan’s mother, Roberta Lynn Duke, 53, succumbed to a lingering lung illness on May 19. The mother and daughter both lived in Prattville.
Rolan’s mother-in-law, Sheila Rolan, said she still can’t believe both women died within a day of each other.
“It’s something I’ve never had to deal with, especially attending two funerals,” said Rolan. “I loved her mother, and she was my daughter-in-law for 10 years.”
Dailey said a state medical examination will be conducted as a result of Rolan’s death.
Aarol Sheehan of the Alabama Department of Public Health Center for Health Statistics said Friday that three deaths occurred from yellow jackets or bees and one from a snake bite during the past three years in the state. She said there have been no deaths from ant bites in Alabama during that period.
The deaths of Rolan, who was married with two small sons, and her mother, rocked the close-knit family.
A fundraiser is planned for Saturday at the Waffle House Restaurant in Prattville to assist in paying funeral expenses. A GoFundMe online fundraiser has also been created and can be viewed at www.gofundme.com/25h4kkyk. A goal of $5,000 has been set.
Contributing: The Associated Press