OH: Ohio hunter dies after fall from tree stand
Ohio hunter dies after fall from tree stand
By JOE ARNOLD . For The Advocate .
December 1, 2008
STOUTSVILLE - A 60-year-old hunter died Monday morning after
apparently falling from a deer hunting tree stand near the Fairfield
County-Pickaway County line.
Dennis Dale Farmer, of Lowber, Pa., was pronounced dead at the scene
by firefighters from the Clearcreek Fire Department shortly after the
call was received around noon by the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office.
The death was the first hunting-related death Fairfield County
Sheriff Dave Phalen said he was aware of in the county. Deer-gun hunting
season began Monday in Ohio.
The accident occurred at 10370 Wyandotte Road, Stoutsville. Farmer,
who fell an estimated 18 to 20 feet, was hunting on family-owned land,
Phalen said.
"We don't know if it was an accidental fall or one as a result of a
medical condition," he said. "We've scheduled an autopsy to find that
out."
Detectives from the Sheriff's Office, the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources and the Clearcreek Fire Department arrived after the initial
call was received.
According the ODNR's Web site, one in three hunters will experience a
fall from a tree stand in his or her hunting career.
"Tree stand accidents are the leading cause of hunter injuries in
Ohio and most of the U.S.," said Ron Rogers, the district law
enforcement supervisor. "A lot of them just are not utilizing good,
proven tree stand safety techniques."
Rogers, who taught tree stand safety for eight years, said he
believes Monday's death was the first this year in central Ohio.
"Most tree stand accidents occur either climbing up and getting into
it or getting out or climbing back down tree stands. Others are from not
setting them up correctly.
"Our basic hunter's education course teaches how to do that properly
and safely."
