Last week my partner and I received a 9-1-1 call for a guy who had fallen out of his treestand and was injured. While responding in the ambulance the first thing that came to my mind was, was he wearing a safety harness? Once we arrived on scene and did my preliminary interview with the patient to find his injuries and the details on the fall, I found out he WAS wearing a harness. The guy had fallen 16 feet to the ground and had a large laceration to the knee, large laceration to the eye, and back pain. He doesnt remember the fall or how he landed, but was able to hobble back to the farm and call for help.
The cut to his knee came from the strap on climbing sticks and the laceration to the eye came from actually landing on his broadhead and it sliced just above his eye. He was very lucky not to have lost an eye. All in all, 60 stitches later and he was able to go home.
We found out that the stitching on his safety harness had failed and allowed him to fall. So, remember to check every square inch of your harness before and during the season. If there is ANY fraying or weakness to the webbing or stitching, be safe and replace it before using it.
Every year we respond to multiple accidents involving falls from treestands. Most were not wearing a harness, but every now and then, you get a call like the one I had where safety measures were taken and falls still happen.
November 6, 2011 at 2:19 am
#202851
