An Indiana man was impaled by the antlers of a deer he’d recently killed while hunting — in a freak accident involving his off-road vehicle.
The incident happened Monday afternoon near Dillsboro, Ind., according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Early Hagy, 63, was trying to retrieve a buck deer from the bottom of a steep incline just before the accident, officials told local station WLKY. He secured the deer carcass to the back of an off-road vehicle and tried to drive up the incline, but was thrown off when the vehicle rolled backward.
The deer’s antlers impaled Hagy on the right side of his torso, causing serious injuries.
Hagy was airlifted to hospital where he was in stable condition that evening, local station WTHR reports.
Officials did not indicate exactly what kind of vehicle Hagy was using at the time of the accident.
It’s not the first time a deer hunter has been injured by his quarry.
Last year, an Arkansas man was killed by a buck he’d wounded. The hunter thought the animal was dead, but it got up and gored him when he approached it.
Deer-hunting seasons vary across the United States, but they often start in the autumn.