Alabama woman dies after multiple fire ant bites
SELMA – 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 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 worked hard to resuscitate her “but one of the first things to happen in a situation like this is the airway passage closes up.”
The coroner indicated he heard the ants 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. A relative said Rolan suffered from several allergies, including insects.
Rolan’s mother, Roberta Lynn Duke, 53, succumbed to a lingering lung illness, and died on May 19. The mother and daughter both lived in Prattville.
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.