Feature Real-Life Tree Stand Tragedies 8-28-2011
gengberg August 28th, 2011
FEATURE
Real-Life Tree Stand Tragedies
He would have looked me in the eye and said “It will never happen to me,” said Rod Slings, retired Iowa DNR law enforcement supervisor.But it did.
Slings befriended an avid hunter who worked at an automobile service department near Slings’ residence in Iowa.
“This guy lived and breathed bowhunting,” Slings said. “Every time I took my car to the shop, he’d ask me questions or tell me about his latest hunt on the acreage he owned outside of Des Moines.”
One afternoon, Slings’ friend went to his stand, just like he had hundreds of times before. However, this time was different. During this hunt, he accidentally slipped off his stand. Although the hunter was wearing a safety harness, the leg harness was not attached so only the chest strap supported him. This mistake would cost him dearly.
“The hunter was tethered high in the tree so when he fell, he couldn’t reach the tree. He began screaming for help. A neighbor heard the hunter and was able to locate him,” Slings said. “The hunter asked his neighbor to fetch a ladder to help him down. While the neighbor was gone, the hunter’s chest harness had worked its way up, shutting off his airway. By the time the neighbor returned, the hunter was unconscious.”
The neighbor called 911. A rescue team arrived, but they were hampered because it was so hard to reach the unconscious victim. Precious minutes ticked by as rescuers got ladders in position, secured the hunter and lowered him to the ground. However, it was too late. The hunter was dead. He suffocated as a result of his safety harness not being correctly attached. Continue Reading »
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