Hunter Injured In 30-Foot Fall From Tree Stand

January 26, 2011

A hunter was  injured after falling about 30 feet from a tree stand this morning in Escambia County, Alabama.

John Davis, 33, of Atmore, was transported by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola  following the accident just after 7 a.m. in the Pineview community north of Flomaton.

According to Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton, Davis fell about 30 feet onto a log after experiencing a severe low blood sugar problem. Davis managed  to call his father, who was hunting nearby, for help before falling, but the father was unable to get Davis out of the tree before his condition worsened.

Davis suffered a broken ankle as a result of the fall.

Davis’ tree stand was several hundred feet in the woods, with firefighters forced to carry him about 100 yards to a clearing that was accessible only with a pickup truck.

Comments

24 Responses to “Hunter Injured In 30-Foot Fall From Tree Stand”

  1. Wife on January 29th, 2011 12:15 pm

    John is doing great. Maybe able to come home Sunday. First, I want to thank all of you for your prayers and calls. John is a very cautious hunter, and did have his safety harness on. He did have a glucose tub with him. If you are diabetic, when it gets low, it can become severe very fast. Unless you are diabetic, you do not know how it feels or how to medicate, therefore, do not presume to know what should of, could of, or would of been done. Even in the hospital, the DRS. are not even able to regulate it. This has been an ongoing battle for years. Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers. John and I very much appreciate it!!!

  2. Just An Old Soldier on January 28th, 2011 12:37 pm

    My continued prayers for this young man.

    My Great Aunt was insulin dependent her whole adult life and insulin strength could vary from batch to batch – so she always carried carmels, or a Snickers wherever she went – always had a Coca Cola or an RC near at hand around the house.

    Even that wasn’t enough for every incident of low blood sugar, but it helped. Pa made us carry a Snickers bar with us when we went hunting – just in case.

    Sure hope this young man makes it out next hunting season. And sure hope he doesn’t have a “weather forecaster” with him from a bad repair of that ankle.

  3. JUDY MASEK on January 28th, 2011 9:52 am

    very important point “rhens mom”- (hope hes doing well, also)… :)

  4. Blessed on January 27th, 2011 8:01 pm

    My heart felt thanks to FYI and all those those concerned for the hunter who fell .He and his Dad are extremely cautious hunters. Little John has been hunting with his DaD for 30 years with every precaution including the safety harness he was wearing yesterday. He also had sugar with him. He has an anomaly that
    occurs in his liver when he medicates for diabetes. That being said, what ocurred
    was part of his and his Dads journey. They both experienced that hedge of protection God provides each time I pray for them. It could have been far worse!!!
    They love hunting together what a gracious God we serve!!!! I praise Him to GOd BE The Glory! Great things He has done!! They felt the hand of God together!!!
    And I still have a wonderful husband and son, and Sandy, Cassie,and Callie still
    have a wonderful husband, Dad and Poppie! Thank you God!!!!

  5. Rhens Mom on January 27th, 2011 6:44 pm

    My prayers are with each involved ~ it gors further than just John…. He is at a WONDERFUL place. As for the people that take time and make their judgement call without knowing the WHOLE story, Heaven Help Them!!! I just went through the same crap on December 3 ~ my son was in the head-on collision on Pine Forest Road. There were several un-called for comments. Until a person experiences what one goes through at that time, they need not comment if they can’t be supportive! Again my prayers are with all.

  6. Beegee on January 27th, 2011 2:22 pm

    Is this the husband of Sandy,”Lonesome Valley” Davis???? I wish you guys the best!!! Beegee :-)

  7. robert on January 27th, 2011 10:07 am

    Thankyou Wonder I went to school and [layed football with him a Ernest Ward although he was a couple of years older than me. i still considered him a friend i hope that he gets well soon. KI also have sugar problems but i was put on an insulin pump almost 3 years ago. sometimes these lows happen so fast there is really nothing you can do about it. Get well soon!! from “MATER”

  8. FED UP on January 27th, 2011 9:22 am

    Hope this hunter is ok and does not have pain and limp from this experience.
    Sugar problems are enough to deal with without anything else.
    I’d say he was actually lucky in many ways this time, but he may want to
    take some of the good advice from posters about glucose tabs or the snickers
    bar and not adjusting his harness till on the ground.
    Sometimes things just happen because you make slight mistakes but
    you need to admit them for change.

  9. FED UP on January 27th, 2011 9:19 am

    Hope this hunter is ok and does not have pain and limp from this experience.
    Sugar problems are enough to deal with without anything else.
    I’d say he was actually lucky in many ways this time, but he may want to
    take some of the good advice from posters about sug

  10. vicky on January 27th, 2011 6:50 am

    hope u get better soon for those beautiful little girl and your lovely wife !!! prayers are goin up!!!!!

  11. wonder on January 27th, 2011 6:49 am

    Glad John checked on him and could tell something wrong. Thank God for cell phones. His dad called him and knew something was wrong. Little John is a nurse he is very aware of hunting safe. He had ankle reconstructed last night.

  12. wonder on January 26th, 2011 11:22 pm

    To Robert this is little John. I understand that his ankle was reconstructed tonight . Also checking to see if bone above ankle was damaged. Keep him and family in your prayers.He has two sweet little girls.

  13. jennifer and christy on January 26th, 2011 9:37 pm

    you are in our prayers lil john!! hope you feel better soon!! :)

  14. Davis on January 26th, 2011 8:04 pm

    I have a young son who is diabetic. We allways bring glucose tabs with us. You never know!

  15. Just An Old Soldier on January 26th, 2011 7:22 pm

    Good Lord! Glad it wasn’t worse.

    Hope you get better soon young man, and keep a Snickers bar in your pocket when you’re out there!

  16. Safebear on January 26th, 2011 4:55 pm

    Being in the profession I am, safety, you never “readjust” until you’re on the ground or at least where if something happens, you won’t fall. glad he’s OK but take that sugar with you.

  17. NENE on January 26th, 2011 4:31 pm

    I hope you have complete healing.

  18. FYI on January 26th, 2011 4:07 pm

    Just to clear some things up… He had a harness on… he was adjusting himself when his sugar dropped… he has been hunting for a long time… and follows every precaution. Sometimes in life things happen… mistakes, accidents or what have you. Don’t assume that he just went up with no precaution… There is a lot more to this story than most will ever hear, but its funny how people just assume he was up there with no saftey gear at all. Ever seen a diabetic go in and out of shock before a diabetic coma sets in? Like I said he was following the saftey precautions all of us would hopefuly do… anything can happen to you at anytime. Take no breath for granted and live everyday as your last becuase you just never know!

  19. robert on January 26th, 2011 1:14 pm

    Was this Lil John Davis the 3rd?

  20. kurt on January 26th, 2011 1:01 pm

    Hang in there buddy im comming to see you. Me and kim are praying for a speedy recovery.

  21. Renea on January 26th, 2011 12:24 pm

    My prayers go out to this man and his family. I myself have falling from a tree stand only a few feet but it was enough to scare the h*** out of me, I mostly hunt in shooting house but on occasion hunt ladder stands. But I also have low blood sugar, My husband makes fun of me cause I will not go to my stand without my backpack which has my “junk” food in it. Low blood sugar is a serious condition and alot of people have it and dont know they do. Most hunters carry some sort of bag with them, which has a deer grunt, doe pee!! and extra bullets, if you know you have low sugar put a pack of glucose table in your pack.
    Thank God this man had a phone and was able to recognize the signs of his sugar dropping and call for help.

  22. GRITS on January 26th, 2011 11:30 am

    As of January 1st, Alabama had 3 hunting fatalities this deer season, all from falling out of tree stands. My blood sugar dropped one time when I was about 25 feet up a tree and it is not a pleasant experience. I would never climb another tree without a safety harness. It’s aggravating, but it’s not nearly as inconvenient as broken bones – or maybe spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair.

    I’m very glad to hear Mr. Davis survived the fall. Most people don’t when they fall more than 12 feet.

  23. A Soldier's Wife on January 26th, 2011 10:58 am

    Prayers going up for John!!! May God heal you!!

  24. Robert h. on January 26th, 2011 10:46 am

    This is terrible to hear, I am a hunter myself and will not get in a climbing treestand without a safety harness .I hope he is ok .You hear more and more about these kind of accidents every hunting season . This should be part of hunter safety courses for young people prior to getting their first license . Maybe it should be required for all hunters. the treestand manufacturers all recommend and stress the importance of a safety harness while climbing and sitting in a stand.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News