A veteran Columbus lobbyist who lived in Delaware County has died after he was stung at least 20 times by bees on a golf course in northern Michigan.
Dead is Darryl Dever, 64, of Powell.
Dever was searching for a golf ball Wednesday in woods at the at Treetops Resort’s north course in northern Michigan when the bee attack occurred. Adam Hewit, Dever’s lobbying partner the last nine years, told the Columbus Dispatch that Dever apparently stepped on a bee hive.
Michigan State Police Sgt. Mark Tamlyn says Dever was pronounced dead Wednesday after having trouble breathing.
MLive.com reports that Dever and a friend — a doctor — were golfing together at Treetops Resort’s north course when Dever went into the woods. Tamlyn says the bees came out of the ground, stinging him at least 20 times in the head, neck and shoulders.
Dever had no known allergy to bee stings, but Tamlyn noted that enough stings can be fatal even to someone without an allergy.
Dever’s doctor friend had few resources on the course and said Dever could have been saved, had he been able to get to an emergency room, according to MLive.com. The doctor was not stung, Tamlyn said.
Jon Deming, Otsego County (Michigan) EMS chief, told the Petoskey (Michigan) News-Review that paramedics and a doctor were on scene and several attempts were made to save Dever’s life, but they were unsuccessful. Treetops personnel assisted at the scene as well, the newspaper reported.
Dever was a past president of the Ohio Lobbying Association and was currently representing a dozen clients, including labor unions, the Ohio Dental Association and mortgage bankers, according to the Dispatch.
Barry Owens, Treetops Resort general manager, told the News-Review that there had been no incidents or issues with bees at the Treetops golf courses all summer. “It is a very unfortunate incident and our sympathies go out to his family and friends,” he said.
Treetops Resort is near Gaylord in Dover Township, Michigan, about 200 miles northwest of Detroit. It is a popular, sprawling resort and spa in northern Michigan, and is known for its golf courses.
