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Wife's co-worker fell out of a tree yesterday setting up a stand

Core

By Core,
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Core Rookie

Core

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My wife has a co-worker who has been hunting for many years. He takes safety seriously and "always" uses a harness--though apparently not yesterday. Yesterday while setting up a two-person stand (which tells me it was a ladder stand), he fell and has suffered multiple breaks to his lower legs. As far as I know his back and head are good to go. I wish I had more specifics. The purpose of this thread is to remind people to take falling very seriously. It sounds to me like this guy is generally responsible and takes safety seriously, but obviously slipped up on that a bit yesterday.

I know some people here still don't uses harnesses, though I'm sure most of you do. If you don't, you are flirting with disaster.

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Core Rookie

Core

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16 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

There is a point when your setting up a ladder stand where you are playing odds. This is the exact reason why I will not set up a ladder stand alone. Having someone at the bottom holding the stand to the tree is very important.


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I've never set a ladder stand up, but when thinking about buying one recently this is basically why I decided against it. Just seemed kind of risky to do alone. This guy did have a buddy with him, for what it's worth.

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growalot Newbie

growalot

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I have to say I do all mine alone...you bring in extra ratchet straps and make yourself a grappling type hook...swing the ratchet strap around the tree and  grab end with hook and ratchet...climb a bit and repeat each strap you set going up tightens the stand to the tree.  I always have one to secure platform to tree then the seat and chain as well...then I remove the ones I do not need on the way back down...legs are secured to rebar stake before I start to climb.

That all said.... slow and steady ,use your brains and strap up going up and down...be safe out there guys

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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Bummer....I hope the fellow recovers from his injuries...

Those "gravity attacks" are a bitch...

I have always managed to avoid them, but a number of my friends have had them.. Fortunately none of them were seriously injured, but they certainly could have been.

One guy was about 20 feet up ( no harness) and he suffered a fainting spell...He woke up lying on the ground at the base of the tree right NEXT to a rock pile..Fortunately he suffered only scrapes and bruises.

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chas0218 Newbie

chas0218

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Guys the ladder stands come with those "Guide ropes" for a reason. You are supposed to wrap them behind the tree and back to the ladder for a reason. You shouldn't be just propping it against the tree then climbing. I can see how someone would fall without a harness if he didn't make it up the tree before he could tie off. Glad he made it out with only a few broken bones, a lot worse could have happened.

Word to the wise, use those straps!

Edited by chas0218
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ApexerER Mentor

ApexerER

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I am guilty of not always wearing a harness. It depends on the stand for me which I guess is stupid. When i sit in my Double stand alone with a platform that goes all the way back to the tree I usually don't wear my harness. If i sit in a stand that is just a small seat and platform then i do...When we set up a ladder stand we do it with three guys. We attach a rope to each side of the top of the stand and one guys stands pulling the ropes holding the stand against the tree. Then one guy on the ladder and one guy climbs. I put 5 ratchet straps on my ladder stand I just put up and my buddies were making fun of me. I said I want to know that if my ladder is ripped off for some reason I will be sitting here like it is a hang on....

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fasteddie Grand Master

fasteddie

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I have put up almost all of them alone . And , like Chase said , the stands come with ropes that attach to the seat platform and get criss crossed behind the tree and fastened to the ladder before climbing to strap the top section to the tree ( after the support bar is attached ) . There are only two stands where I don't wear a safety harness . One is a 6' high platform stand with a hub blind on top . The other is a permanent stand that has a railing all the way around it . 

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Cabin Fever Mentor

Cabin Fever

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A few years ago, I was out checking cams, I decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and check stands while I was out. I always wore a safety vest, but since I didn't plan on checking stands that day, I didn't have it....

Long story short, I fell 20' and broke my right foot in 3 places (my foot took most of the impact falling straight down). I had multiple surgeries over the next couple of years. This is a pic after the last surgery. Foot and ankle so swollen it looks like they could bust open! Looked like an elephants foot! ALL because I was in a hurry and I thought, "It's just one time and I'll be careful.

I know how lucky I was, but believe me, I suffered for years!

1221121420.jpg

Do yourselves and your family a favor and wear those safety harnesses!!! Accidents happen!! Trust me, it's NOT worth it!!

Edited by Cabin Fever
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Paula Mentor

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4 minutes ago, Cabin Fever said:

A few years ago, I was out checking cams, I decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and check stands while I was out. I always wore a safety vest, but since I didn't plan on checking stands that day, I didn't have it....

Long story short, I fell 20' and broke my right foot in 3 places (my foot took most of the impact falling straight down). I had multiple surgeries over the next couple of years. This is a pic after the last surgery. Foot and ankle so swollen it looks like they could bust open! Looked like an elephants foot! ALL because I was in a hurry and I thought, "It's just one time and I'll be careful.

I know how lucky I was, but believe me, I suffered for years!

1221121420.jpg

Do yourselves and your family a favor and wear those safety harnesses!!! Accidents happen!!

I still remember the first time you told your story. For that I think safety always!  

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Core Rookie

Core

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1 hour ago, ....rob said:

Too many variables when putting up or using a stand to not wear a harness. Even a 3 foot fall can break bones or worse of you land on something.

That's what I told my wife! At our age (i.e. not children) anything more than about three feet and stuff starts to break. 

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LJC Newbie

LJC

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12 hours ago, Core said:

My wife has a co-worker who has been hunting for many years. He takes safety seriously and "always" uses a harness--though apparently not yesterday. Yesterday while setting up a two-person stand (which tells me it was a ladder stand), he fell and has suffered multiple breaks to his lower legs. As far as I know his back and head are good to go. I wish I had more specifics. The purpose of this thread is to remind people to take falling very seriously. It sounds to me like this guy is generally responsible and takes safety seriously, but obviously slipped up on that a bit yesterday.

I know some people here still don't uses harnesses, though I'm sure most of you do. If you don't, you are flirting with disaster.

Well I No A Guy who  Died falling  Using A Stand This Guy Been Hunting for over 30 years . And that's why I don't bother with them anymore  I have taken and no plenty of people who have taken plenty of deer even big bucks from the ground .

Obviously it not as easy but I would rather not be dead or mess up taking a chance with a stand something I use to do when I was younger.  I gave up on them . Btw hanging  from a harness probably is not going to feel to great  either . 

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Core Rookie

Core

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7 minutes ago, LJC said:

Btw hanging  from a harness probably is not going to feel to great  either . 

Yep, I've heard this as well. The old types could choke you out in no time. The newer multi-point are better, but still not fun at all to hang there. At least with steps of some kind you have a chance to use those. I still need to practice a technique to descend if I find the bottom go out on my climber and I'm stuck hanging.

I assume the guy you know wasn't using a harness...?

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LJC Newbie

LJC

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15 minutes ago, Core said:

Yep, I've heard this as well. The old types could choke you out in no time. The newer multi-point are better, but still not fun at all to hang there. At least with steps of some kind you have a chance to use those. I still need to practice a technique to descend if I find the bottom go out on my climber and I'm stuck hanging.

I assume the guy you know wasn't using a harness...?

Hmm you know  I really don't no if he had one on  it  happend about 4 years ago he was a cop you would think he knows  better .

Let's say you have a harness  u survive the fall but cant  get down dying from exposure  a slow death is  worse to me like being crucified.  Alot of places you hunt don't have cell service and that's if you can get to your phone . Like I said when I was younger and thought I was going to live for ever I used them not anymore iv almost fallen off them by falling asleep on those things a few times :) 

Edited by LJC
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nyslowhand Enthusiast

nyslowhand

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At least as of a couple years ago there were a couple great videos on youtube about how to recover from a fall while using a harness. Most important was to have a screw-in step in your harness's pocket so you can take the weight off the straps that go around your groin area as you're dangling. That definitely will cut off the blood circulation to those femoral arteries.

Also on youtube were great videos of how to recover from climber/hang-on disasters!

Going up a ladder stand once it's upright, oriented and platform level as possible, can be unnerving w/o any ratchet straps installed. What I've found that works best is to put the horiz brace in place and secure with a long ratchet strap criss-crossed around the tree. Then the long lashing ropes are run around the tree from the platform, down to the lower ladder section and tied taught. BTW - Throw away that string the mfger includes with the stand and invest in some substantial camo rope to lash the stand to the tree.

Edited by nyslowhand
Added 1st ladder stand ascend
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LJC Newbie

LJC

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I'm 6'2  279 ib how do you think my groin is  going to feel even if  I  fall even only 3 feet in that  harNess or my ribs or any part of me that smacks that tree when u fall  usually things happen when you least expect it .  I gave that up when I got older . At least when your younger  you recover faster from accidents like that.  You don't think about it anyway   .  When you get older different story .

Good luck and watch your self be safe  really think about every move  you make when your 20'  up a tree  . If you decide to use them .   

 

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