Broke My back!!!


Mirage

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It happend so quick. I had unhooked the strap at the platform and had left the t brace and straps hooked to the bottom section with my friend holding the bottom section to the tree. The treestand was a strong built stand with a swivel seat on the platform.The stand broke when i started coming down at the joint where the top section and bottom section slid into each other. i had noticed some rust on the joint but didnt think much of it. Well i didnt relize the stand had rusted from inside out and when there was pressure on that joint it just folded with my weight causing it to pull away from the tree and the T brace worked as a leverage point. it was just a very bad thing. I can honestly say i am scared of treestands now. i just thought this only happend to those other guys not me....boy was i wrong I am not sure how we could have got that stand down . We couldnt use a climber do to the tree and other trees around it ,Just a bad thing

thanks Sean

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Sounds like my crisscross rope trick would have prevented that accident.

Well Sean as far as being scared of treestands now I can relate to that. You see I was also one of those other guys that it happened too. I had my fall in Jan., 1986 and I didn't climb a tree again until the fall of 1988. Even then it was only with a 12' ladder that had a big platform.

Eventually, I got over me fear of heights though but I learned to be a lot more careful after I had my fall. Spending 7 months recovering from my accident, even though it was 21 years ago is still a vivid reminder for me to be cautious when my feet are off the ground.

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Attach 2 ropes (at least twice as long as the ladder is tall) to each side of the ladder stand at the top. Crisscross the ropes around the back side of the tree as high as possible to the top of the stand. If you have a buddy with you have him wrap them around his back side keeping the rope tight while you climb up to tighten the stand or lossen it and climb down if you're taking the stand down. If you don't have a buddy with you come back to each ladder leg about 5' above the ground by a step and after having tied a loop in the rope about 2 1/2' to 3' from the leg wrap the rope around the leg, go back through the loop with the rope, come back to the leg and pull the rope tight. Then tie each rope off after it's tight. The rope will help (in a big way) to keep the ladder stand secure against the tree while it's not otherwise secured to the tree at the top of the stand with the chain or ratchet that comes with it (if that's how it's supposed to attach to the tree).

You can also do the same crisscross secure method using 2 ratchet straps if you have 2 that are long enough to crisscross behind the tree and come back to the ladder legs.

We do the same thing when put ladder stand up and taking them down!!

It works very well.

Glad to hear doc things your are doing better. Now just take it easy.:)

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Thanks alot guys!! Listen the only reason i am telling you guys what happen to me is because i have been hunting from a treestand for 20 years now and when i started nobody wore a safety device that i knew. Then i lost a mentor to me and that changed but as I got older i thought man i have never even come close to falling but i still wore my safety belt. Just for some resoan I just didnt when hanging stands this year and that was my biggest mistake. i thought that stands only 15 feet and looked to be fine...what a mistake that was. So I just want to say wear that saftey belt. if not for you for your family. I was very lucky this timeand only broke my vertabrea but it could have been realy realy bad. I have read so many posts about safety belts and always thought i was safe..but it happend to me so be careful guys and gals.

thanks Sean

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Man that sucks. Ive broken my back in 03. I took a year off football but went back and and played 2 more years when it and knee surgery caught up with me. Now i have a degenrit spine that affects me every day and other then pain pills there nothing the back docs can due. I have had 2 docs say if I would stopped playing when i broke it, and done what they said I wouldnt have the problems I have now.(i was younger and stupider then i am now i guess;) ) Im not saying this to scare you but to urge you to do everything the doc says no matter how crazy it seems or mad it might make you. Cuss im young and have had to stop using climbers as much and i cant ride quads or horses. And sometimes I can be layed up for days with screatching pain.

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Man that sucks. Ive broken my back in 03. I took a year off football but went back and and played 2 more years when it and knee surgery caught up with me. Now i have a degenrit spine that affects me every day and other then pain pills there nothing the back docs can due. I have had 2 docs say if I would stopped playing when i broke it, and done what they said I wouldnt have the problems I have now.(i was younger and stupider then i am now i guess;) ) Im not saying this to scare you but to urge you to do everything the doc says no matter how crazy it seems or mad it might make you. Cuss im young and have had to stop using climbers as much and i cant ride quads or horses. And sometimes I can be layed up for days with screatching pain.

i will thanks for the advice< as many of you know i am a tech and i need my back to work right so I have to do what the doc says and he says rest for now. but im already oing stir crazy.i thoought i couldnt be tired of hunting shows but i was wrong....lol

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