• Moments from death after touching strange beetle
• Severe allergic reaction nearly kills American mother in front of her children

What began as a family outing to a historic site in the US state of Maine nearly ended in tragedy after a mother suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction from touching a colorful beetle during a walk with her children.

Antoinette Webb was visiting Fort Knox in the town of Prospect when a shiny green insect caught her attention. The bug was later identified as a six-spotted tiger beetle.

“It was this beautiful berry-green beetle I’d never seen before,” Webb told local media, adding: “I picked it up and said, ‘Wow, you’re so pretty.’ Within seconds, I felt burning spreading through my body.”

As her symptoms rapidly worsened, Webb rushed uphill to the gift shop to seek help. There, former medic Dean Martin stepped in as her condition quickly deteriorated.

“She was lying there while I held her hand and spoke to emergency services,” Martin said, adding: “She lost consciousness because her airway was constricting. Her lips started turning blue.”

Martin, along with his wife Sherry and another staff member, administered first aid and gave Webb Benadryl before paramedics arrived. At the hospital, she received four epinephrine injections to control the severe allergic reaction.

Webb returned to the historic site the following day with her 9-year-old twins for an emotional reunion with the team credited with saving her life.

“Because of them, my children still have their mother today,” she said through tears, adding: “The moment I saw him again, I realized I wouldn’t be alive if they hadn’t acted so quickly.”

Although Martin rejected being called a hero, Webb insisted the team’s military training and rapid response were the reason she survived.

“If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be alive today,” she said. “I’m beyond grateful.”