Mayor Dies in Wasp Attack: Lucie Roussel Mourned by Canada Town
A mayor died in a wasp attack while on vacation, and now her constituents, friends and two children are mourning her, according to reports. Lucie Roussel, mayor of La Prarie, Quebec, was stung multiple times Sunday and her life was cut short at 51 years old.
The mayor that died in a wasp attack had been at her Stratford summer cabin by the lake Sunday when the incident occurred. Roussel had been walking outside when she accidentally stepped on a wasp's nest. Before she could react, more than 15 wasps came out and stung her on the legs multiple times.
Roussel began to have an allergic reaction, and when paramedics arrived on the scene, they used an EpiPen to attempt to treat it while taking her to the hospital, La Prarie spokeswoman Chantal Carron told CBC. Unfortunately, the mayor died from the stings and shock.
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Roussel had never previously exhibited any bee or wasp sting allergies, but experts have said that multiple stings can activate an allergy. However, it is very rare that anyone dies from wasp stings, Dr. Joseph Shuster, an allergist at McGill University Health Centre, told CTV.
Now the community is mourning the loss of the mayor, who has been described as a respected civil servant.
"She was respected a lot," La Prairie resident Sylvie Trepanier said. "She was a wonderful woman and a fair woman and a woman of heart. She cared for us all those years."
Others have expressed condolences and well wishes to Roussel's children, ages 18 and 19. They lost their father six years ago to a heart attack.
"I'm thinking about her family. They lost their father a few years ago," Reine Herbert, a former colleague, told CTV. "You can't do that to the family. I mean it's so sad. It's sad for the people, it's sad for her two children, for the whole city."
Funeral arrangements are being made for the late mayor.
