title: Deer stand fatalities in Kentucky: two cases of reverse suspension and blunt force trauma.
abstract: Hunting many types of wild game is an avidly pursued outdoor activity that attracts all ages and both genders at various times of the year. Deer hunting is a popular sport in many regions of North America. A variety of weapons are used in the hunting, trapping, and killing of game. As a variety of different modalities are used, myriad types of injuries unique to the type of hunting can occur. Most deer hunting-related fatalities identified at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Kentucky are accidental firearm injuries. Less commonly encountered are fatalities resulting from elevation of the hunter in a tree stand, often associated with poor design or construction of the perch. We present 2 tree stand-related deaths. One victim died of positional asphyxia due to reverse suspension from a hunting tree stand. The second victim died of multiple blunt force injuries sustained in a 20-foot fall from a tree stand. We summarize the features of morbidity and mortality related to deer hunting based on investigations by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa B E
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000059:Accidents; D000368:Aged; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006465:Hemoperitoneum / Q000473:pathology; D006468:Hemopneumothorax / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000473:pathology; D011187:Posture; D011693:Purpura / Q000473:pathology; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000473:pathology