Man killed in freak hunting accident after bear falls out of tree and lands on him
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A man has died following a freak hunting accident where a group shot a bear in a tree causing it to fall out and land on top of one of them. The Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) said it was alerted to a "hunting incident" in Lunenburg County, Virginia, at about 9.50am on Monday, December 9. According to local reports, the group had been following a bear that ran up a tree in the moments before the shooting.
The DWR said a hunter in the group then shot the bear causing it to fall and fatally hit Lester C. Harvey, who stood around 10 feet away from the base of the tree. A member of the hunting group is understood to have given him first aid until local emergency services members arrived.
Harvey was taken to a nearby hospital and was transported to the VCU Medical Center, according to network WRIC. Harvey died as a result of his injuries on December 13, the department said. The department said they are not looking to charge anyone in connection with the incident.
Hunting bears is legal in Virginia, although there are some regulations that people must follow if they wish to pursue the animals. The Virginia DWR said bears may be harvested using any lawful weapon within the limits of any town or city that allows hunting of the animal from October 5 through to January 4.
An obituary said Harvey was from Phenix in Charlotte County and is survived by his wife, three sons, two daughters and eight grandchildren. He was described as "a friend to all" and "an avid outdoorsman." A funeral service for him is set to be held at 2pm tomorrow at Mt Carmel United Methodist Church. The Mirror has contacted the Virginia DWR for comment.
