A hunter has died days after a bear fell out of a tree on top of him, Virginia wildlife authorities said Tuesday.
Lester Harvey Jr., 58, was among a group of hunters who chased the bear up a tree on Dec. 9, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources told the Daily News in a statement.
As the group of hunters retreated from the base of the tree, one of them shot the bear, the department said. The bear fell out of the tree and landed squarely on Harvey, who was standing about 10 feet away. Among the witnesses were his adult son Josh Harvey, who said on social media he was hunting with his dad that day.
Fellow hunters rendered first aid until first responders arrived and rushed Lester Harvey first to a hospital in nearby South Hill, Va., and then to another one about 80 miles away in Richmond.
He was at first listed in serious but stable condition, KSBY reported. But on Friday, Dec. 13, “Harvey succumbed to his injuries,” Virginia wildlife officials said.
No charges are expected in the incident, which authorities classified as a hunting accident.
The avid outdoorsman and self-employed contractor was remembered in an obituary as “a friend to all” who “never met a stranger.”
“Dad was doing what he loved most, bear hunting with me and some of his good friends,” Josh Harvey wrote in a Facebook post two days after the accident.
In addition to Josh and four other children, Lester Harvey is survived by his wife and eight grandchildren, the obituary noted.
With News Wire Services
