November 6, 2012
11/07/12 Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a tree stand accident that occurred Sunday afternoon in Starke County near Grovertown.
Indiana Conservation Officers, Starke County Emergency Service, and the Koontz Lake Fire Department responded to the call of a male that had fallen from a tree stand in a heavily wooded area and was unable to move. Silas Wait, 25, of Govertown, was climbing into his tree stand, when the support chain slipped and the tree-stand platform gave way causing him to fall over a 20 foot drop to the ground. Wait was air-lifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital for injuries to his head, neck, and chest. He is expected to recover.
Indiana Conservation Officers investigate multiple tree stand accidents throughout deer season and want to remind those hunters using tree-stands to always wear a full body safety harness and to check their stand for any wear or loose straps regularly during the hunting season.