Virginia hunter dies after shot bear falls out of tree, lands on him

A father of five from Virginia died earlier this month while hunting, after a bear that was shot in a tree by one of his hunting partners fell from the branches above and landed on him.

According to the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), 58-year-old Lester C. Harvey was out hunting with a group on Dec. 9 when a bear they were following ran up a tree in Lunenburg County, which is between Richmond and Danville.

One of the hunters took aim at the bear above and fired a shot, striking the animal.

As the hunters stepped back from the base of the tree, the bear fell, landing on top of Harvey, who was standing about three metres from the bottom of the tree.

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The wildlife department said a member of the group gave Harvey first aid before he was rushed to two different hospitals. He died from his injuries several days later, on Dec. 13.

Authorities are not currently seeking any charges related to the incident.

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According to his obituary, Harvey was a father of five and grandfather of eight, hailing from the town of Phenix, Va. He is described as “an avid outdoorsman” and “friend to all.”

The Associated Press reports that similar incidents have injured other hunters in recent years.

In 2018, a man in Alaska was critically injured after his hunting partner shot a bear on a ridge. The animal tumbled down a slope into the man, who was also struck by rocks dislodged 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 out of the tree and began biting the hunter. The man and the animal then tumbled off a cliff. The hunter was taken to a hospital, while the bear was later found dead.

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— With files from The Associated Press