A Virginia man has died after a bear in a tree fell on top of one of his hunting partners, state wildlife officials said.
The incident occurred Dec. 9 in Lunenburg County, which is between Richmond and Danville, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources said in a statement.
A group of hunters was following the bear when it ran into the tree, the department said. As the group retreated from the tree, a hunter shot the bear. The animal fell on another hunter who was about 10 feet from the bottom of the tree.
The department identified the man as Lester C. Harvey, 58, of Phenix, Virginia. A member of the group administered first aid before Harvey was rushed to two different hospitals. He died of his injuries on Friday, the wildlife department said.
An Harvey’s obituarya married father of five children and eight grandchildren, he said he was a self-employed contractor and an avid outdoorsman. His funeral is scheduled for Thursday, according to his obituary.
Similar incidents have occurred in recent years.
In 2018, a man a Alaska he was seriously injured after his hunting partner shot a bear on a ridge. The animal fell down a slope towards the man, who was also hit by rocks thrown by the bear.
Another man was injured in 2019 after his hunting partner shot a bear in a tree in North Carolina. The bear fell from the tree and started biting the hunter. The man and the animal fell off a cliff. The hunter was taken to a hospital, while the bear was later found dead.
According to Tor the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, black bears are found throughout most of the state and have been located in at least 92 of Virginia’s 98 counties and cities.
The says the department that it is illegal to “paralyze, injure, or dislodge a bear from a tree with the intent to continue a hunt, chase, or for the purpose of training dogs.”
“The Department is not currently seeking any charges related to this incident,” VDWR officials said. seconds CBS affiliate WTVR.