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FALL FROM TREE STAND SERIOUSLY INJURES
DUNNELLON MAN
November 6, 2006
CONTACT: Karen Parker, (386) 758-0525
Officer Kat Kelley (352) 427-6728
A Dunnellon man suffered serious injuries after
falling from a tree stand during muzzleloading season at Cedar
Hammock Hunt Club in Levy County.
James “Tim” Waldron, 42, was taken to West
Marion Hospital in Ocala after the 6 p.m. Nov. 4 incident in
which he suffered multiple pelvic fractures. He later was
transferred to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where, as of
Monday, he remains.
Waldron, who had fallen asleep, was not wearing
a safety belt or harness when he fell 16 feet to the ground. He
landed on his Connecticut Valley Arms Buckham 209 muzzleloader
which discharged and broke in half upon contact with the ground.
The victim, who had left his cellular telephone
in his vehicle, dragged himself 30 yards before rescuers found
him. Neighboring hunters, Jack Reese of Crystal River and his
son, Jack Reese Jr., heard Waldron’s cries for help and quickly
found him.
Waldron told people where he would be hunting,
something everyone should do.
“If hunting by yourself, let someone know where
you will be hunting and the time you expect to return home,”
said Steve Robbins, hunter safety coordinator for the FWC’s
North Central Region. “If possible, carry a cell phone with you.
When hunting out of a tree stand, wear a safety belt or harness.
Take an approved hunter safety course and always use safe
hunting practices.”
For information regarding statewide courses, log
on to MyFWC.com and click the
Hunter Safety link or
call the local FWC office for the next available course in your
area.
This is the second hunting-related incident in a
week. A 14-year-old youth was accidentally shot in the lower
back, sustaining non-life threatening injuries, Oct. 28 at a
hunt camp in Marion County. |
