Conservation Officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources are investigating a tree stand accident in Pike County over the weekend that resulted in serious bodily injury.
Authorities say 34-year old Aaron Mason of Spurgeon was setting up a tree stand, trying to secure a ratchet strap when he lost balance and jumped approximately twelve feet to the ground.
They say Mason was taken to Memorial Hospital in Jasper with significant injuries to his right ankle.
The accident took place on Sugar Ridge Fish and Wildlife Area in Pike County near Island Pit around 2:30 Saturday afternoon.
Conservation officers say Mason was not wearing any type of safety harness at the time of the fall. They note that Saturday’s accident is the sixteenth tree stand accident in Indiana this year.
