Juvenile injured in tree stand accident (Ripley County)

Injured when tree stand fell

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a tree stand accident that happened Saturday and left a juvenile injured.

At 4 p.m., first responders were dispatched to a hunting accident on private property near the 6000 block of County Road 800 South in Friendship.

Initial investigation revealed that a juvenile hunter was climbing into their tree stand when the straps securing the stand broke and caused the stand to fall from the tree. The juvenile fell approximately 20 feet, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and was airlifted to a Cincinnati hospital in serious condition.

Other assisting agencies included the Friendship Fire Department, Ripley County Emergency Medical Services, and PHI Air Medical.

Conservation officers remind Hoosiers that the most common hunting-related injuries are from accidents involving tree stands and elevated platforms. All hunters should wear a full body safety harness when going up to and getting down from elevated platforms. For more information, see hunting.IN.gov.