IN: Hunter hurt in fall from his treestand

10/12/2009

Hunter hurt in fall from his tree stand

A Crown Point man was severely injured Thursday after falling from a treestand while bow-hunting deer, the DNR Division of Law Enforcement said.

According to a statement released on Friday, Robert Batcheller, 32, fell from a stand 14 feet off the ground. Batcheller was able to call his brother from a cell phone, his brother subsequently located him in the field, and EMS personnel were dispatched. Batcheller was transported to St. Anthony's Hospital in Crown Point and then to Northwestern Hospital in Illinois.

Batcheller sustained an injury to his back as well as broken ribs and a bruised lung.

"Luckily for this hunter, he had a cell phone and could call for help," Conservation Officer Aaron Mullet said. "Unfortunately, this hunter didn't use a safety harness, which could have prevented this accident from happening at all."

"Even with accidents like this, deer hunting is still a very safe sport when you compare the number of people who hunt to the number of reportable accidents that happen each year," the statement said.

"The Law Enforcement Division of the DNR wants to lower the number of these accidents by continuing to promote the wearing of safety harnesses while climbing into a tree to hunt deer. The safety harnesses available today are comfortable and when used lower the risk of becoming a statistic."

Other tips:

.If you are hunting from a wooden ladder stand, make sure the weather hasn't made the stand unsafe to climb. Make sure too all nails are not where a hunter climbing into a stand might puncture himself.

.When hunting from a metal stand, all straps and fasteners should be in good shape and tight.

"Checking these things before climbing into a stand may be the difference between life and death," the statement said.

Return to Hunting Accident Index

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