NJ: Delaware Township hunter, 61, medivacked after branch near tree stand breaks

October 21, 2010

Delaware Township hunter, 61, medivacked after branch near tree stand breaks.

DELAWARE TWP. - A 61-year-old Delaware Township man installing a portable tree stand was medivacked Saturday afternoon after falling about 20 feet when a branch broke under his weight.

Police said that Frank Yasunas had secured the stand and shifted to a branch when the accident happened on the Kurzenberger Farm on Lambert Road.

Yasunas is one of several men who have permission to hunt on the property. He was setting up the stand with Thomas Altvater, who called for help. Rescue efforts were hampered by the remote location, which necessitated clearing a path out of the woods for a stretcher, police said.

"It was a good thing he had someone with him. He always leaves his cell phone in his truck," said police Sgt. Ed Ziolkowski of Yasunas.

The accident happened shortly after noon. The Stockton rescue squad and paramedics responded, along with Sergeantsville and Amwell Valley volunteer firemen and Sgt. Ed Ziolkowski.

The medical helicopter landed in a field. Yasunas was taken to the trauma center at Capital Health System's Fuld hospital in Trenton, where police said he underwent surgery for a broken back but is expected to recover.

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