A young men in his early twenties from Warrenville, SC, was bow hunting on Wildlife Management Area off Lanham Road, Friday evening, Oct. 9, when he fell from his deer stand. The stand was located about a mile into the woods off of Lanham Road, and according to a spokesperson with the Department of Natural Resources, the accident happened when the young man was exiting the stand. Although the hunter had a safety belt, he was not wearing it at the time of the accident. DNR stated that the accident was not due to a stand failure. Rather, the cables on the bottom of the stand broke, and, as a result, sent the man falling over 20 feet to the ground. A nearby hunter heard the screams of the young man as he fell from the stand. That hunter found the man and 911 was notified of the accident around 8 o’clock.

DNR, the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office, Merriwether EMS, and members with the Westside Fire Department all responded to the scene. The young man was responsive when officials got to him. He was transported to Georgia Regents University for treatment of possible ruptured vertebrae and broken ribs. His injuries, however, were not believed to be life threatening.