****PLEASE CHECK YOUR TREE STANDS****

[Sean B]

Please check your tree stands and wear a four point safety harness. A friends brother was out hunting this weekend and as he went to climb down from his hang on stand, the strap broke. To make matters worse, he was wearing the old style "safety " belt. He was hanging upside down. Fortunately he was able to reach his cell phone and dial 911. He was lucky!!

[ChuckC]

Yes he was.  He was also lucky he didn't break ribs and bleed internally from that belt.

We do dangerous things, like stand in trees !  We need to be careful and not take chances.

Thanks for the heads up.
Chuck

[DennyK]

Exactly why I'm a ground blind hunter. Don't know how long it takes suspention trauma to set in but I'm happy he's OK. Thanks for the reminder Sean.

Denny

[woodchucker]

Anything higher than a bar stool gives me a nose bleed.....

[hitman]

A doctor told me 8 minutes for suspension trauma. The blood all runs to lower extremities and your heart cannot pump it back up. Just to give everyone an idea of how long.

[ChuckC]

Why can't your heart pump it back up ?
ChuckC

[DennyK]

Chuck, Hope this helps:1. Leg Circulation: A fall arrest harness does a great job of dissipating the energies generated during a fall arrest through the long axis of the human body. After all motion has stopped, that same harness – particularly the dorsal attachment configuration – will most likely impose pressure to the femoral vein that is the primary blood vessel that returns blood from the legs towards the heart. In fact, in order to pass certification testing, these harnesses must not allow the test mannequin to assume greater than a 30 degree forward lean upon suspension. Any degree of forward lean will exert leg strap pressure on the femoral vein which impedes blood return. To compound this, the human body relies on what is known as the muscle/venous pump to assist the blood return from the legs to the heart. In suspension, the worker often forgets to bicycle their legs to create this muscle/venous pump. The trapped blood in the legs creates what is known as distributive shock as more and more blood is trapped in the legs; there is less to circulate for the rest of the body (brain, heart, lungs, and kidneys). Additionally this blood becomes highly acidic and toxic with metabolic wastes.

[ebeard]

Thanks for the heads up.  I will be taking a good look at my stands before the next time I hop on them.

DennyK, appreciate the detailed description of the dangers of suspension trauma.  I am trying to hunt more from the ground this year also, but still hunt from trees occasionally.  More importantly, my son is still trying to harvest his first deer, and I often put him in a tree stand so he'll see more deer while I have fun on the ground.  I make it a point to stay well within shouting distance if anything goes wrong.

[Mint]

That's why I use the HSS lifelines and one of their vest safety harnesses. Always attached from the moment my feet leave the ground.

[bisket]

That happened to me a couple years ago, except my stand didn't break, I just missed the step coming down.  A long 4 months of sleeping on couch and no weight on leg.

Like Mint, I use the Lifeline now so I am connected in the whole time.  This would have saved me from my fall.  A real easy system to use.  Cost is minimal when considering the consequences.  My two surgeries for my broken leg tallied over $75,000.  Thank goodness for insurance.

bottom line is ...Stuff happens to everybody and it can happen fast...so take time to think and be careful.

[Dorado]

I've got some pictures of my foot that would make anyone want to secure their ladders and wear proper safety harnesses. However, I don't think mods would allow me to post them. I've missed out on hunting for the past two years and I won't be able to hunt this year either. I'm also looking into getting my foot amputated.
I've had four surgeries, live every day in pain. Every step I take feels like it's breaking again.
Secure your ladders, wear a good harness. It's just not worth the risk. TRUST ME.
Here's a safe picture if you want to see.
   10 foot fall

[Tater John]

Damn that's bad

[Dorado]

Originally posted by Tater John:
Damn that's bad

You should see it without the wrappings. Probably scare someone off of using tree stands.

[KentuckyTJ]

We did see it by clicking the arrows for next pic. Yuck sorry Brother!

[bisket]

I recognize that hardware from my setback. That was not fun ...
This is what they left inside.
I am getting around pretty good now hopefully you will get there too...hang in there.
  ]web page[/URL]

[Dorado]

I wasn't lucky enough to break my leg. I broke my ankle. If you look in Bisket's X-ray, the bone below the two leg bones. I broke that in half, dislocated half of it, crushed the other half, broke my heel in three places, destroyed the joint between the heel and the main bone (talus), and tore just about every tendon and ligament in there. I have massive nerve damage and can't feel a lot of my foot. My range of motion is almost 0. I can't be on uneven ground for long before I'm in extreme pain.
I'm going in tomorrow to talk to the docs about getting my foot amputated and getting a prosthetic one. Been trying to save my foot for two years. I don't think I can. I'm quite tired of the constant pain.

I was on a ladder. It wasn't secured and collapsed out from under me. So, when I say secure your ladders. I'm speaking from experience.

[Dorado]

Originally posted by KentuckyTJ:
We did see it by clicking the arrows for next pic. Yuck sorry Brother!

I have worse. Those were tame.

[J. Holden]

I feel it necessary to bring this back up.  A friend of mine fell yesterday while hunting at another friends place.

Appears as though the strap on the stand broke, I don't know all the details.

What I do know is he was strapped in and somehow still fell.  He struck his head and was knocked unconscious.  When he awoke he had neck pain and was covered in blood.

He was fortunately able to call his buddy who was able to find him with an ATV and take him back to his the house.

He was driven to a local hospital and found to have a depressed skull fracture that was allowing air to leak into his skull/brain cavity.

He was flown to another hospital to be seen by a neurosurgeon.  Again, fortunately no surgery was required and he is supposed to be discharged today.

I do know he did not hang the stand he was hunting in. Another in their hunting party did hang it so they all thought it was safe.  I do know they leave their stands up all year.

Lessons for me to learn, always check the stand prior to getting in it and always double check my rigging.

Stay safe guys/gals...

-Jeremy  

[Sean B]

Wow, Jeremy, I wish your friend a speedy recovery. It can and does happen!!

[Joey Ward]

How did dialing 911 help him?