They chase a bear to kill it: one of the hunters shoots the animal as it falls from a tree before fatally crushing it

This Friday, December 13, 2024, a bear took refuge in a tree before being shot by hunters. As it fell, the animal crushed one of the shooters.

A tragic hunting accident occurred in Virginia, USA. On Friday, December 13, Lester C. Harvey, a 58-year-old man, died after a bear hiding in a tree fell on him, reports in particular Le Figaro.

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The animal took refuge in a tree

A few days earlier, on December 9, a group of hunters were chasing a bear in Lunenburg County, according to a statement from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The animal had taken refuge in a tree.

As the group of hunters walked away, one of them shot the bear, causing it to fall. The animal landed on Lester C. Harvey, who was about ten feet from the tree. “A member of the group administered first aid until firefighters and EMS arrived,”, wildlife resources spokeswoman Shelby Crouch said Dec. 17.

Man in serious condition

The man was rushed to a local hospital, where he was in serious but stable condition for the first few days. He was later transferred to another facility, where he succumbed to his injuries on Friday, December 13.

The day before the tragedy, Josh Harvey, one of the victim’s sons, posted a message on Facebook to pay tribute to his father.“Dad was doing what he loved best, bear hunting with me and his friends, when he was injured,” he wrote, while acknowledging that “the road to recovery”already seemed long.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources told CBS News that he was not looking for anyone responsible in this case. But, his website reminds that it is illegal “to maim, injure or dislodge a bear from a tree in the context of a hunt”.