DNR: Middlebury man in serious condition after falling from tree stand

LAGRANGE COUNTY, Ind. (WPTA) - The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says a man was seriously hurt after falling from a tree stand Monday afternoon.

In a news release, DNR says officers responded to the 3500 block of West State Road 120 in LaGrange County for a person who was seriously injured. Crews arrived and say they found 36-year-old Lyndon J. Slabach was removing a hang-on style tree stand from private property when the cables supporting the stand broke.

They say the man, who was alone and not wearing a safety harness, fell about 17 feet to the ground. He was able to access his phone to call a relative for help. He was treated on-scene before being airlifted to a hospital in serious condition with leg injuries.

“With deer hunting seasons approaching, Conservation Officers remind everyone using elevated platforms to always wear a full body harness, use a tree stand’s safety rope, never try to put up or remove a tree stand by themself, and to always inspect their tree stand before climbing up into it,” DNR said.