LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) -- The bottom piece of a tree stand is the only thing that was holding up a Lee County man after straps from the upper part gave way, causing him to hang from the stand upside down.
What led authorities to his location was something many of us can't do without.
"He called from a cell phone, I think. That's how the call originated," Lee County Fire Coordinator David Homan said.
Authorities say the man -- who has not been identified -- came through the woods Monday afternoon about 2 p.m., ready to hunt, but when he started to scale a tree, something went wrong.
"As far as I know, he came out here to hunt and was climbing the tree, and that's when the accident happened," Homan said. "I really don't know a timetable on it, but it could have happened a couple of hours ago."
That means the man could have been hanging upside down for a couple of hours.
Members of Shannon Fire and Rescue were able to get the man to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.
His injuries are not expected to be life-threatening, according to authorities.
Still, with hunting season now in full swing, these kinds of accidents do happen, according to Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks conservation officer Jason Young.
"Tree stand accidents across the state are on the rise because of negligence," Young said. "That's why it's always important whenever you decide to go hunting from a climbing stand or any type of stand, to wear your hunter safety harness, preferably one made by the Tree Stand Manufacturers Association."
It also doesn't hurt to bring someone along for the trip as well.
"I'd hunt with the buddy system. I'd hunt with someone. Secondly, I would have some form of communication. In this case, the guy had a cell phone," Homan said.
And that's something wildlife officials said easily saved the man's life.
Young said the cause of the accident was negligence on the part of the hunter: he had secured the stand with plastic ties instead of metal pins, and the ties broke.
