Stung by bee, Dix Hills man saved after police use EpiPen

Less than one week after EpiPens were placed in 25 Suffolk County police cruisers, officers administered life-saving care to a Dix Hills man when he went into anaphylactic shock after being stung by a bee.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, Suffolk Deputy Police Commissioner Belinda Alvarez-Groneman, officers and elected officials gathered at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge on Tuesday morning to commend the officers who saved the life of Greg Kronrad.

"If they weren't there and doing their job and taking care of me and having the EpiPen, I wouldn't be here today, that's for sure," Kronrad said. " So I want to thank everybody for passing the law, getting everything done, all the officers that took care of me, I couldn't ask for anything more."

While working outside at his company, All Star Specialties Corp. in Wyandanch on Sunday, Kronrad was stung by a bee.

Though his allergy had been diagnosed about six years ago, Kronrad said he didn’t think much of the bee sting.

After he began to feel dizzy, he managed to call his son, who dialed 911.

When officers Ryan Belanger, Brandon Casco and Sara Feldman arrived, Kronrad was having trouble breathing and speaking.

Bodycam footage played at a news conference showed Kronrad in distress on all fours and suffering severe stomach pains.

Officer Belanger administered an EpiPen to Kronrad's left leg while paramedics, including medical crisis action section Officer Brian Koch, set up an IV to administer additional medication while providing oxygen.

By the time Kronrad was in an ambulance for transport to Good Samaritan Hospital, his vital signs were stable, and he was breathing much better, Alvarez-Groneman said.

"Make no mistake, had this EpiPen not been at our disposal, the outcome could have been deadly," she said.

During anaphylaxis, blood pressure suddenly drops and airways narrow, blocking a person’s breathing. It can be deadly if not treated right away with epinephrine, which increases blood flow and relaxes muscles that block airways, according to medical experts.

Kronrad, who said he did not remember much of the episode, said he now carries an EpiPen.

The deployment of EpiPens in Suffolk County police cruisers has been a long time in the making, officials said.

Each supplied patrol car carries one adult and one child EpiPen.

In 2019, state lawmakers passed Gio’s Law, which authorizes police and firefighters to carry EpiPens in their vehicles. The law needed agreement from local governments to be implemented.

The law was lobbied for by Georgina Cornago, of Lynbrook, whose 14-year-old son, Giovanni, died from a severe allergy attack in 2013.

Epinephrine pens can cost more than $600 for a pack of two injectors.

"What's the value of a life? Priceless," Romaine said. "When responding to emergencies, not only first responders and ambulance, but now police officers have the ability to administer an EpiPen and save a life. That's what this was all about."