VNVGUNNER
Ultimate Member
Springs hunter falls 18 feet from tree stand
MARDELA SPRINGS -- A Mardela Springs hunter has been hospitalized for an 18-foot fall from a tree stand on wooded private property in Wicomico County, the Maryland Natural Resources Police reported Thursday.
Authorities located an injured Gregory Dean Phillips, 50, on Cherry Walk Road after his wife contacted friends that her husband had not returned home from a hunting trip, according to the NRP.
Authorities said Phillips was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center and later to the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. The Hebron Volunteer Fire Department assisted NRP with the incident.
The accident underscores safety measures that hunters should observe, said NRP officials, reminding hunters to use sturdy portable stands and recommending those certified by the Tree Stand Manufacturers Association.
Officials also encourage hunters to stay away from permanent-style models that tend to weaken with age as nails rust and wood rots. "If you must use a permanent tree stand, check it out during a pre-season scouting trip to make sure it is still safe to use," an NRP spokesperson said.
Last year, 70 percent of hunting accidents in Maryland were tree-stand related, the NRP also reports.
MARDELA SPRINGS -- A Mardela Springs hunter has been hospitalized for an 18-foot fall from a tree stand on wooded private property in Wicomico County, the Maryland Natural Resources Police reported Thursday.
Authorities located an injured Gregory Dean Phillips, 50, on Cherry Walk Road after his wife contacted friends that her husband had not returned home from a hunting trip, according to the NRP.
Authorities said Phillips was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center and later to the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. The Hebron Volunteer Fire Department assisted NRP with the incident.
The accident underscores safety measures that hunters should observe, said NRP officials, reminding hunters to use sturdy portable stands and recommending those certified by the Tree Stand Manufacturers Association.
Officials also encourage hunters to stay away from permanent-style models that tend to weaken with age as nails rust and wood rots. "If you must use a permanent tree stand, check it out during a pre-season scouting trip to make sure it is still safe to use," an NRP spokesperson said.
Last year, 70 percent of hunting accidents in Maryland were tree-stand related, the NRP also reports.
