# Tree Stand Safety



## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

A buddy had a tree stand accident yesterday evening. He was coming out of his stand and apparently passed out and fell. Dont know if he passed out and that caused the fall or if the fall knocked him out and he just dosnt remember slipping. He fell between 15 and 18 feet. He crushed both ankles, broke both legs. One leg was a compound fracture with the bone actually sticking out. He also fractured some vertibrates. Another buddy went looking for him after he didnt come home and found him 50 feet from his stand. He had started dragging himself out of the woods. He called the ambulance who then called in the helicopter and he was rushed to the hospital. He was in surgery for several hours this morning. They are saying he wont be able to put weight on his legs for 4 months and then will probably have that much more or longer in rehab.

I dont know if he was wearing a harness or not. I assume he was and unhooked to come down. He was climbing out when he fell.

Just a reminder to be safe out there. It can happen to anyone at anytime.

ALWAYS where a harness and ALWAYS make sure someone knows where you are hunting.


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

Thank you for that reminder. Sorry about your friend's injuries.


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

OUCH! Glad he survived it and hope he makes a full recovery!


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## pj4wd (Dec 9, 2009)

Sorry to hear about that. Dam, hate to hear stuff like that. I just read on NAHC forum about someone with a waist safetybelt fell and it cut his circulation off. Found him hangin there dead. I Started wearin a fullbody harness this year, anybody that isn't probably should also.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

im sorry to hear about your friend, i hope he makes a full recovery. 

it seems to me ive been hearing a lot about tree stand safety this last month or so. enough that i was looking into harnesses a few weeks ago. ive got a few body harnesses, but they are difficult to put on and to be honest, stay in the basement. id like to get the HHS vest but nobody around me carries my size. i found it online, maybe id better pick it up. falling is the reason ive went to lock on stands with a fabricated rail to surround me in the stand. i fell many years ago in a climber. it was a goliath climber with the straps on the bottom section, one strap slipped off my foot and as i was leaning over trying to get my foot back in the strap and thats when the top part slipped sending me to the bottom of the tree, where my legs got pinned in between the top and bottom from my body weight being on the top part. fortunately i didnt break anything, but i also walked very funny for months after that because i know i tore/sprained something. id given up climbers totally. sworn id never get in one again. then this year i borrowed a buddys summit viper and i really do miss the mobility of a climber and this stand has hooks on the bottom section not those stupid straps. its much easier to climb with too. im sorry to hear about your friend and thanks for the reminder. you just never know when it could happen to you.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Hope your buddy is getting better. EZ, same thing happened to me but with a Viper. It was a maple tree and slip slide I went to the bottom. I use a lineman's belt now when hanging my stands and then use the Fall Guy for all hunting. Very safe combination. Don't want to fall again I'm sure the next trip to the bottom will be worse than the first was.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Bassblaster,

I hope your buddy has a full recovery from that fall. He sounds very fortunate to even have a chance to walk again.

I always wear a full body harness and on my climber my it gets strapped to the tree as soon as I begin climbing. It loosens and tightens very easily so it is just a matter of a quick adjustment and slide it up the tree as I go. If the climber should ever go on me I am still safe. When I use any of my lock-ons the first thing I do when I get on the platform (before even turning away from the tree) is connect my harness to tree so that the only time there is risk in falling is during the climb itself. When I am climbing I try to always keep both hands in contact with the tree or steps when moving in case a step should give out or I should slip off one. It is not the best option but I do try to use extreme precaution. The best option would be the lineman's belt that Bob mentioned. If I were using my lock-on stands more I would probably already have one but most of my time anymore is in the climber.


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

Any update? How's your friend doing?


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

Not real good. The latest info I have is they believe he had a heart attack when he was coming out of his stand and that caused the fall. They say his heart is only pumping about 25% of what it should be pumping. He allready had some surgery done to kinda straighten his feet out but was waiting for the swelling to go down before they could go back in and reconstruct everything. Now they have to figure out what the heart issue is and correct it before going forward on fixing his legs. They tell me the doctors are keeping him in a coma like state because he keeps fighting them. One night he actually called 911 and said the hospital was holding him against his will. He is now restrained and on a respirator. I have also heard talks of the possibillity of removing his legs below the knee.

He is in ICU and they are only letting imediate family visit him so all the info I have is second hand. I called around yesterday and tried to get some updates and it sounds like nothing has changed over the weekend. I'll get any updates when I go back to work tomorrow.


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

Oh wow! I think it's kinda funny he called 911 on the hospital though, he's still got some spunk in him. lol. I truly hope he makes a full recovery with all of his pieces and parts in tact.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

BB sorry to hear that. What a huge reminder of how important it is to not cut corners in the tree stand. Sure hope your friend comes out of this OK.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

Latest report today is that they did whatever they had to do to correct the heart issue last night. Today he woke up and is alert and talking to everyone. Isnt fighting them any longer. He dosnt remember anything that happened. Dosnt remember falling, crawling through the woods, nothing yet for some reason he thinks hes been in the hospital for three months but its been less than 2 weeks. They are gonna try and do the surgery to reconstruct his legs and ankles on Mon!!


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## center pin daddy (Apr 15, 2004)

That sounds like much better news. Thanks for the update.


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## Huntinbull (Apr 10, 2004)

Glad to hear his prognosis is good. It is important to make sure you are attached either to the tree or to your climbing steps/ladder stand AS SOON AS YOUR FEET LEAVE THE GROUND!!! You are more imbalanced/at risk during the climb than at any other time. More falls happen while getting into, or out of, your stand than at any other time. We stress this during every one of my Hunter Education courses.
Be safe and have fun.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

I guess I kinda forgot about this thread. Just wanted to give a final update.

He's getting better everyday. Its hard to believe this was almost seven months ago. Seems like a month ago. He is still in physical therapy a couple times a week. He can walk but walks with a cane and only walks short distances before he has to take a break. He should make a mostly full recovery. May have to walk with the cane the rest of his life. maybe not though, hes pretty stubborn. Another buddy was able to get him back into the woods during muzzle loader season. They built a blind he could park his gator in and hunt. He passed on a 140 class and never saw another deer. I'm sure he'll be back in the woods this fall. I doubt his wife will let him up a stand though, lol.

Thanks for all the well wishes guys!!


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Good news for sure.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

im glad to hear hes recovering some. good news for sure


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