2023-10-03 20:06:00
A mishap that the 25 free pace joggers from Virton could have done without this Sunday. Of the 250 participants in the long course, around a tenth were attacked by hornets. 112 was called to the scene, despite the presence of Red Cross volunteers.
“He was clinging to my t-shirt”
Christabel Wilfart, from Chiny, one of the people attacked by these hornets, testifies: “We were running when, suddenly, I heard a buzzing in my ear. I wanted to chase the beast, but then I felt big stings in my back. As I looked, I saw a big animal hanging on.”
Fortunately, the lady was not alone. A beautiful spirit of solidarity reigned within these free paces. “I was in so much pain and saw that I couldn’t get rid of it: the hornet clung to my t-shirt, she remembers. I started screaming and a group of other runners came towards me and removed the beast, which even clung to another girl. We really had a hard time getting rid of it.”
The injured woman was severely attacked: she counted eight to nine stings in her back, caused by a single hornet. “We clearly saw that it was a hornet and not a simple wasp: the beast was really enormous!”
Also, other people were affected. “I know that another jogger, like me, couldn’t get rid of the hornet. Another one was stung through his cap!”explains Christabel Wilfart.
An ambulance was called
While she still had about two kilometers to go, the jogger did not want to give up. “Fortunately I wasn’t alone, there is always good mutual help on these free paces. Further on, we had to cross a road to reach the RAVeL, and the girls who were with me suggested that I ask the police to take me back. But I preferred to continue.”
Arriving on site, the victims went to the first aid station. Unfortunately, the volunteers present are not authorized to give any medication. So, despite the soothing ointment applied, they were forced to call for help.
“When I got there, with the drop in adrenaline from the race, I felt the pain even more. The paramedics gave me tramadol, a very powerful painkiller which gave me relief for a few hours. I still had severe pain all day, and a little on Monday. The emergency services were very helpful in monitoring me, because my blood pressure and oxygen saturation had dropped. Fortunately, this resolved itself afterwards.”
A free pace that the 25 participants affected will not soon forget.
Bernard Rongvaux, one of the organizers: “It’s a bit of fate”
As for the organization of the free pace, we are well aware of the problem. But it is difficult to prevent these kinds of incidents.
Bernard Rongvaux, one of the organizers of the free paces, could only observe the attacks, which, despite their great preparation, could not have been anticipated.
“It seems that hornets go where there are animals, and there were horses nearbyadmits the organizer. However, the first and last riders saw nothing, it was when the riders of the peloton passed that they attacked. I think they got excited with the noise from the crowd. I did the marking the day before and in the morning by bike, and again afterwards to close the race and I didn’t see anything at all either.”
“It’s unachievable”
Unfortunately, despite the inconvenience caused, the organizer has no way of preventing this from happening again: “It’s unrealistic. It’s very difficult to predict, especially since we didn’t see anything the day before. If we had seen something, or if we had been alerted, we would have made our arrangements by alerting the firefighters. But the same day, the firefighters came, they went to look at the site and I don’t think they found the nest. And in any case, they told me that if there is no house nearby, they do not intervene. So we don’t know how to do anything. It’s a bit of a fatality.”concludes Bernard Rongvaux.
Florian Foulon, general practitioner: “We must remain careful”
According to Florian Foulon, general practitioner, the priority is caution: “Hornet stings can be dangerous if you are allergic, a very small amount of venom can trigger an anaphylactic reaction. For those who are not allergic, such a reaction can also be triggered, but with a larger quantity of venom, ten to fifteen stings could cause this. In the event of a serious reaction: severe swelling, decreased breathing, drop in blood pressure; call 112. If the effects are less, consulting your general practitioner is recommended. He will prescribe ointment, antihistamines or even Medrol. “The problem is that someone who has never been bitten cannot know if they are allergic or not. You have to be careful.”
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