Accidental Fall From Tree Makes Opening Day In Allegany County Bitter Sweet

He laid in a crumpled mess at the base of the tree just moments before he had been 30 feet up it on the opening morning of the muzzleloader season. He had some luck and he still had his cell phone if he could only get his son who was hunting nearby he could get help. Cell service reception is tricky in these parts so getting a signal was his only hope.

CJ woke to the sound of his boys that were anxious to go deer hunting. The alarmed failed to go off but the boys weren’t going to let their Dad sleep through the opening day of deer season. They rushed around and got loaded up and headed for the hunting lease. A couple of close calls on the road with deer crossing were a pretty good sign because they knew the deer were moving.

As a hunter safety instructor and a Dad hunting safety is something CJ constantly stressed with his boys. The tradition of hunting had been passed down through the generations in their family. CJ growing up in New York and the proud hunting heritage passed down through the men he met as a boy in the Adirondack hunting camps. This had come a full circle as CJ’s sons are now learning about hunting the heritage, traditions and the important lessons of safety.

The sound of the 54 Caliber CVA Bobcat cracked across the mountain as the bullet found its mark dropping the buck in his tracks. CJ heard the shot and he was certain it was his son Bud. Cj was hopeful as he dug out the radio to call Bud and see if he was successful. The radio crackled back with Bud’s response “Dead on impact” CJ was excited this was Bud’s first muzzleloader deer as he prepared to climb out of the stand to go help him.

It had been a while since the fall…maybe an hour… but the cell phone had work and now help was on the way. A son now raced to get help to save his father’s life. Because of all the rain Ida had dumped back country travel was difficult at best. He met the first EMT on the road and he climbed on the back of the 4 wheeler with his jump kit as they raced back up the mountain to the accident scene. The sounds of sirens now filled the air as rescuers began to gear up for what they hoped was a life saving mission.
The sound of the fast moving 4 wheeler and sirens attracted CJ and his boys they intercepted the 4 wheeler going up the mountain and that is when they discovered that Chris’s dad had fallen out of the tree and was seriously injured. Chris continued up the mountain as CJ went down to load additional rescuers and equipment on his jeep to get them to the scene.

Chris was home on leave from the Marines due to ship out soon for Afghanistan. The plans to enjoy a day of hunting with his Dad had taken an ugly turn. Now an all out effort by hunters and rescuers to get Rick Lyons out of the woods and to the hospital was all anyone would focus on because Rick’s life depended on them working together to get him off the mountain.
CJ knew kind of the general area where the stand was but not the exact location so there was some anxious moments as they arrived in the area. “We’ve got to get there he is having difficulty breathing” one of the rescuer’s stated CJ stopped and got out and yelled and they got a response so they could pin point the location.

Much of what happened after that is a bit of a blur but a pickup truck was able to get in there and Rick was loaded on it and taken out. Almost three hours after it began the rescue helicopter took off to airlift Rick to Johnson City Tennessee.

Rick remains hospitalized with multiple broken bones including vertebra’s in his neck and back, ribs, shoulder, and a broken leg. Please keep Rick in your prayers that he’ll make a full recovery from this horrible accident.
CJ called me last night and told me this story. He said it was pretty hard day hunting because they were excited about Bud getting his first deer with a muzzleloader and the joy was short lived when the accident happened. The use of a safety belt / fall restraint system could have reduced the level of injuries and possible prevented the accident entirely. So guys wear your safety belts.

RIP LBK

The death of a friend is always tough especially when they are so young. I just found out that David Rillo a man I knew as LBK from the internet died earlier this month. I had talked with him a number of times on line and actually met him for the first time at a get together we had last month. On the computer and in real life he seemed like a great guy.

My last conversation with him was not any earth shattering deep talk just a conversation on where a couple of big old boys could find hunting equipment in our size. We also talked about hunting in Maine. I enjoyed meeting him and only wished I had gotten to know him better.

I’ll admit that there are some thoughts running through my mind that as a person that regularly deals with troubled people was there anything I could have done to help him. I know there is not because like many from our website we did not know that he was troubled and contemplating suicide . The day we all spent together in September was really a great day of fun and I think a time we all forgot about the daily troubles and struggles we wrestle with.

David Andrew Rillo, age 34, of 304 Tremont Dr., Asheboro died Sunday, October 18, 2009 at his home.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 2:00 pm at Balfour Baptist Church with Chaplain Dwight Ayers and Dr. Ron Chaney officiating.

Mr. Rillo was a 1993 graduate of Southern Davidson High School, received his associate degree in Criminal Justice from Randolph Community College and was a deputy with the Randolph County Sherriff’s Department. He was an avid fisherman and hunter.

He is survived by his wife, Duwana V. Rillo; step-daughter, Samantha Tubbleville of the home; parents, Jerry and Kathryn Rillo of Candor; brothers, John Rillo of Norman, Paul Rillo of Star; sister, Courtney Rillo of Candor; grandfather, Ronald Chartier of Peru, ME; grandmother, Lorette Rillo of Ellerbe.

The family will receive friends Thursday from 12:00-1:30pm at Balfour Baptist Church, 1644 North Fayetteville Street, Asheboro, NC.

Arrangements by Pugh Funeral Home, Asheboro.

Memorials may be made to David Rillo Memorial Fund, c/o Randolph County Sherriff Department, 727 McDowell Rd., Asheboro, NC 27205.

I hope LBK rests in peace and I’m glad to hear that he was a born again Christian. His family is in my prayers and I hope that anyone that reads this and maybe struggling with suicidal thoughts will seek out help.

Dash Cam of Police Car & Deer

Not sure where this video came from but it does show how quick a collision with wildlife can happen. In my younger days I ran rescue and had a couple of close calls with deer at night when driving the ambulance. I did see the results of an ambulance after it collided with a large black bear in Northern Maine. The bear escaped but there was costly front end damage to the ambulance and it was disabled at the scene. It was some what unnerving for the crew that had a patient in the back on a medical transport and realizing that they would be on their own for a while till Maine State Police and a replacement ambulance was able to reach them.

This time of year the number of animal collisions rise especially involving deer so be careful out there.

Outer Banks Swimmer Killed By Shark

A late night swim ended tragically when Robert Snead of Pennsylvania disappeared leaving a lot of questions until days later when his body was found by an early morning walker after it washed up on the beach at Kill Devil Hill. An autopsy has determined the cause of death was from shark bites.

Shark bites killed Snead, the regional medical examiner’s office in Greenville, N.C., said Friday.
Snead suffered extensive injuries and there is no question that a shark attack caused his death, an autopsy assistant at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University said.
“Living tissues look different when they receive an injury, versus tissues that are already dead,” she said.
Officials had not determined what type of shark might have attacked Snead, who was on vacation with his family when he went for a swim sometime after 9 p.m. off Corolla, about 30 miles north of Kill Devil Hills.
His family reported him missing about 12:45 a.m. Sunday. Red flags had been posted Saturday warning people to stay out of the water because of dangerous surf.
It is likely Snead was attacked near the area where he went swimming, said Lt. Jason Banks of the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office, and the current carried his body south.

Virginia Pilot

While the specie of shark suspected in the attack has not been identified as of yet the Bull Shark in my opinion would be my prime suspect. While attacks are still pretty rare it seems a few attacks a year are reported in North Carolina waters with fatal attacks being even rarer. The last fatal attack in North Carolina waters prior to this one was in 2001.
Florida Museum of Natural History

National Geographic Info on Bull Sharks

Updates When Additional Information is Available.

Tragedy up And Down the East Coast in Hurricane Bill’s Path

This past weekend Hurricane Bill’s path up the east coast of the United States and Canada seemed the best possible outcome not making landfall as it burned up its energy and punch. However damaging waves, rip currents, and treacherous seas wreaked havoc on those who dared to get near.
In Florida a 54 year old man drowned while body surfing on Saturday in the storm fueled waves. On Sunday as many as 5 people were washed into the ocean at Acadia National Park when a large wave crashed over the viewing platform at Thunder Hole. Two of the five people were immediately rescued by bystanders and the three others were swept out to sea. Two of the three were rescued by US Coast Guard but the third, a seven year old girl was not and her body was recovered hours later.
The death of Michael Nemes on Saturday in Onslow County would also appear to be related to Hurricane Bill as more details of this tragedy become available.
Michael Nemes a vacationing police officer from New York was driving a jet ski on the ocean side of Brown’s Inlet a remote location along the North Carolina Coast near Camp Lejeune when the single vessel accident occurred around 4 pm.

The incident occurred around 4 p.m., said Jackie Schmidt of Jacksonville and his brother-in-law, Dan Haugk, of Holly Springs, who attempted to rescue the Nemes.
Schmidt and Haugk had been on their personal watercraft on the sound side of the beach, when a woman came running up the beach screaming that someone was drowning.
“We took off on our skis and went around the sound side, through Browns Inlet, and saw a man out in the ocean,” Haugk told The Daily News on Sunday.
Initially, Haugk said he thought a small boat had capsized, but as he got closer, he discovered it was a personal watercraft.
“I saw a person floating in the distance. He was face down and he was wearing a life jacket. I got as close as I could with the jet ski, then jumped off the jet ski and turned him over to see if he was responsive,” Haugk said.
Schmidt and Haugk tried to pull the man onto their personal watercraft, but the waves were too strong.
“About that time, an 8-foot wave hit us. I lost track of (Nemes) and the jet ski sunk,” said Haugk, who said he swam to shore on Browns Island. Haugk was able to spot Nemes out in the surf and, with Schmidt’s help, pulled him out the water.
“He had no pulse. He was unresponsive,” Haugk said.

Jacksonville Daily News
It took rescuers from Swansboro over an hour to reach the scene after the initial 911 call according to bystander reports. This accident remains under investigation by the NCWRC as well as the local medical examiner.
The power of the ocean especially when a storm is present or nearby can be over whelming. It would appear that in all these cases people wanted to be close to the excitement a storm like this can generate and the awe inspiring splendor of Mother Nature’s fury. Unfortunately they got caught up in that fury and paid dearly.

NCWRC Investigates NY Police Officer’s Death

New York Police Officer Michael Nemes died in a Jet Ski accident while on vacation with his family in Onslow County North Carolina.

Southampton Town Police reported Sunday that Officer Michael Nemes was killed in a Jet Ski accident while on vacation with his family. He was riding the Jet Ski in Brown’s Inlet in Onslow County when he was involved in an accident and wound up in the water unconscious. The exact cause of his death is still being investigated by the enforcement division of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, in conjunction with the Medical Examiner’s Office, police said.

Long Island Press

At this time there is no other details of the accident or the cause. Officer Nemis leaves behind a pregnant wife and a young family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time.

William Tapply Outdoorsman and Writer Loses Battle With Leukemia

William Tapply a well know New England writer and son of H G “Tap” Tapply passed away Tuesday at his N H home after a 2 year battle with Leukemia. He wrote a number of books including many outdoor books mostly about fishing, compiled a book of “Tap’s Tips” his father’s famous column for Field & Stream.
I guess growing up in New England many of his articles and books were very familiar to me because of the geography and the people. I went on his website tonight and saw the extensive list of all the books and articles he has written and one in particular caught my attention “Why I Hunt”. Here is a line from that article that seems somewhat fitting at this time;

I hunt because it links me with the boy I used to be and with the young man my father was then.
I hunt because it keeps my passions alive and my memories fresh and my senses alert even as my beard grows gray, and because I fear that if I stopped hunting I would become an old man, and because I believe that as long as I hunt I will remain young.

We should all stay forever young. Mr. Tapply was 69. RIP

Obituaries
Boston Globe

Midcurrent

Boston Herald

Opening Day Fatal Shooting Ruled Justified

SBI investigation shows that Officer Mark Minton was justified in the fatal shooting of Clyde Coffey during the opening minutes of the 2009 wild turkey season. The district attorney will not file any charges against the officer despite the family and some in the community calling for him to do so.
Mr. Coffey was 76 years old and was deaf according to family and legally hunting on his own property.
The SBI investigators confirmed the presence of bait around the treestand Mr. Coffey was hunting from and the stand that his son in law was hunting from. Baiting of turkeys is illegal making both of these men poachers but certainly not a reason anyone had to die.
Why did the Officer Minton shoot Clyde Coffey?

“Through the investigative efforts of the SBI, it was determined that Officer Minton became aware that someone was potentially baiting turkeys on the Clyde Coffey property on Cane Creek Church Road in Wilkes County. Based upon this knowledge, Officer Minton went to that location to determine if anyone was illegally hunting turkey over this baited area,” Horner said.
“Officer Minton initially encountered Larry Dean Helton, later identified as the son-in-law of Clyde Coffey, in a tree stand at one location of the Coffey property. Officer Minton approached Mr. Helton and took enforcement action without incident. In addition, Officer Minton allowed Mr. Helton to ride his ATV down the mountain from this tree stand to another location where Officer Minton would later meet him,” the district attorney said.
“According to statements from Officer Minton, he then proceeded down the mountain alone and on foot to a second tree stand occupied by Clyde Coffey.
“Officer Minton was initially unsuccessful in multiple attempts to get Mr. Coffey’s attention and have him exit the tree stand. At one point after Officer Minton identified himself as a ‘game warden,’ Mr. Coffey stood up in the tree stand and in an agitated tone demanded that the officer leave his property,” Horner said.
“Mr. Coffey continued to not comply with Officer Minton’s commands, causing Officer Minton to radio for assistance to other N.C. Wildlife Resources officers who were several miles away. However, before assistance could arrive, Mr. Coffey descended from the tree stand with his weapon cradled across his arms, disregarding the instructions of Officer Minton to leave the weapon in the stand,” Horner said.
“According to the officer, when Mr. Coffey reached the ground, he advanced towards Officer Minton, holding his weapon in a ‘low ready’ position and pointing it directly at the officer. Officer Minton commanded him multiple times to stop and then retreated up the hill from Mr. Coffey approximately 85 feet from the tree stand as Mr. Coffey continued to pursue Officer Minton with his shotgun pointing at him.
“Mr. Coffey was approximately 25 feet from the officer when again he was told to stop,” Horner said. “Officer Minton stated that he thought Mr. Coffey was going to shoot him; he drew his service weapon, pointed it at Mr. Coffey and fired one round, striking Mr. Coffey in the chest. Mr. Coffey fell immediately.”
“The distance between Mr. Coffey’s body and the base of the tree that Officer Minton fired from was 14 feet. Officer Minton radioed to the other officers that he had shot Mr. Coffey and EMS was requested. Furthermore, Officer Minton attempted CPR on Mr. Coffey without success,” Horner said.
“In the course of the investigation, SBI agents collected ’scratch feed,’ which is commonly used for baiting turkeys, from the area around Mr. Coffey’s tree stand. This feed was consistent with feed located at Mr. Coffey’s residence and with feed located near the tree stand occupied by Larry Helton.
“Agents also determined that Mr. Coffey suffered from hearing loss. According to information provided by the family of Clyde Coffey, the conduct described by Officer Minton was out of character for Mr. Coffey,” the district attorney said.
“North Carolina general statutes authorize a law enforcement officer to arrest someone without a warrant if the officer has probable cause to believe that the individual has committed a criminal offense in their presence,” Horner noted. “Furthermore, a law enforcement officer is justified in using force upon another person when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary: to defend himself . . . from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of physical force while effecting or attempting to affect an arrest. Deadly physical force upon another person is justified… only when it is or appears to be reasonably necessary to defend (oneself)… from what is reasonably believed to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force.
“After a thorough review of the SBI’s report, interviews with the investigating agents, a review of the appropriate legal standards and in consultation with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, it appears that Officer Minton’s actions were reasonable and appropriate in response to the perceived use or imminent use of deadly physical force by Mr. Coffey,” Horner said. “Therefore, criminal prosecution of Officer Minton for the shooting death of Clyde Hill Coffey is not warranted.”

Wilkes Journal Patriot

Unclear from the press release is whether or not Officer Minton was in uniform or not when this happened. Early on there was some speculation the lack of a uniform lead to some of the confusion as to who the officer was.
Game Wardens and Wildlife Officers have some of the most dangerous jobs seeing where many of the individuals are armed that they come in contact with. While some will believe that Officer Minton used excessive force I see that an officer acted the way he was trained so he could go home at the end of his shift. I believe despite the hearing issue that Mr. Coffey knew that this man was a law officer and he made some really poor choices that cost him his life.
Officer Minton while cleared of the potentially more serious criminal charges must now wait for the NCWRC to complete their investigation.

“We appreciate the work of both agencies to resolve this issue,” said Gordon Myers, the executive director of the Commission. “An internal investigation is ongoing and until the investigation is complete, it would not be appropriate for the Commission to comment further.”

NCWRC

Tred Barta Continues To Battle Back From Spinal Stroke

Last month Tred Barta suffered a rare spinal stroke while preparing to head to Alaska to film his TV show. He is currently in a rehab facility making some progress.

Tred Barta is just learning to use a wheelchair. But he’s still pretty good with a long bow, and looking forward to his first horseback ride since a spinal stroke last month cost him the use of his legs.

After a stay at Denver Health Medical Center, Barta’s now working — and working hard — at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver. The product of that work could keep him on TV. More important, he expects the work he’s doing now to let him hunt, fish and explore the backcountry again.

Keep Tred in your prayers if you want a more tangible way to help an account has been set up to help with medical expenses.

Tred Barta’s time at Denver Health Medical Center and Craig Rehabilitation Hospital are going to run up some pretty scary bills. Here are a couple of ways to help:

Donations are being accepted by the Vail Valley Charitable Fund. Send them to:

P.O. Box 1275,

Avon, 81620

Or call 970-845-6339. Mention the donation is for Tred Barta. Donations are tax deductible, and credit card payments can be made via the internet at: www.vvcf.org.

Wells Fargo Bank in Eagle has established the Tred and Anni Barta medical fund. Call 970-328-6361 to learn more.

Vail Daily

70 Foot Plunge Off Glenn Waterfall Leads To Second Thoughts

What started off as an effort to get a better waterfall photograph ended with a Florida teenager falling down the 70 foot waterfall .

Climbing out onto the top of a waterfall just isn’t worth the better view.
Jason Jackson said he learned that lesson after surviving a 70-foot plunge down Glen Falls in Macon County that left him with broken bones and bruises.
The 16-year-old St. Augustine, Fla., resident said he strayed beyond a small fence designating a safe viewing area when he lost his footing trying to get a better photo.
“Where I was standing, it felt very safe,” Jackson said Friday from his bed at Mission Hospital, where he was flown by helicopter after the Tuesday afternoon fall. “But I wouldn’t advise anyone to do it after what happened to me.”
Jackson suffered two broken vertebrae, a skull fracture and punctured foot, but he said he’s expected to fully recover.

There is no doubt that Jason Jackson was a very lucky young man to be around and to have regrets. The Citizens Time reports that at least 11 people have died since 2001 falling off waterfalls in western North Carolina.
Photography is a passion of mine but safety is important to think about when getting that perfect shot. Over the years I’ve witnessed a number of people taking crazy risks to get photographs or a better view. A few things I try to always remember;
Watch where you step or plan to Step- You may be looking at a spectacular view in front of you and miss danger right at your feet be it unlevel or lose ground or something else.
Barriers and Trails are designed to keep you safe
Wild animals are always wild no matter how tame they may seem
Weather and water can quickly make an easy trail a slick dangerous trek
Wear footwear for footing and safety and not so much for style.
And my last piece of advice I learned as kid one summer when taking sailing lessons and have used it for many situations throughout life.
“When in doubt Chicken out”

Taken?.. Lost?…Found Safe & Sound

6 Year Old Alexander Suddeath and 4year old Heidi Suddeath were found yesterday afternoon by searchers after spending 20 hours lost in the Pisgah National Forest. They had been on a family outing when they ran ahead of the rest the family and became separated. Officials had issued an amber alert fearing the possibility the children had been abducted because they were last seen near the parking area.

The ordeal began about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday while Rick and Michelle Suddeath, their 15-year-old daughter and the two younger children were on a daytrip to the mountain from their home in Kingsport, Tenn.
Officials said the parents stopped to take pictures in a clearing called the old Cloudland Hotel site just off the mountain’s main parking area in Pisgah National Forest. “They turned their backs, and the kids, being kids, scurried off,” District Ranger Tina Tilley said. The children wandered along the Appalachian Trail and then cut down into a steep cove, she said.

Steep terrain as well as overnight temperatures in the 40’s seemed to stack the odds against the children if they were even still in the area. Searchers continued their efforts and were rewarded with the first piece of hard evidence that they were on the right trail when small pair of crocs was discovered. This discovery allowed searchers to shrink the search area and shortly after searchers located the children relatively unharmed.

“I know they suffered because when we got here this morning, it was cold,” Benfield said. “So for them to make it through the night was miraculous. They were cold, dehydrated, scratched up very badly.”
Rescuers gave the children water, Nutter Butters, oatmeal cookies and peanut butter crackers. They then took turns carrying the children up the steep mountainside, a journey of a little less than a mile that took about an hour and a half.
“It’s remarkable how they came through that, to be that little and the terrain as hard as it was,” Washburn said.

Citizens Times
A tip of the hat to the rescuers, many of them volunteers, that go out and search and help us in our time of need.

“Survivor Camp” Lives Up To It’s Name

Local church youth group looking for a challenging activity for their youth may have gotten more than they bargained for when local, state and federal agencies were called in to rescue them. The Living Word Church youth group was on a “Survivor Camp” guided trip with God’s Country Outfitters on the Uhwarrie River when rapid rising water seperated a number of the 24 youth and 6 adults on the outing. According to the 911 call wghp-mp3-low-water-rescue-911-090618,0,1713170.mp3file 9 boys were missing for an hour and possible in the water.

Morton said authorities were called at 12:16 p.m. and told that between 22 and 30 people were in the water and in need of rescue. It was not raining at the time, and heavy rain had not been reported today in the region. But heavy rain has fallen in much of North Carolina in recent days.
Randolph County Emergency Management officials say seven people were rescued from the river on N.C. 109 at Reservation Road, several hundred yards from the bridge.
It is not clear how far the other boaters had drifted when they were rescued.
Morton said Montgomery County has set up an Emergency Operations Center near the site and asked for the N.C. Highway Patrol to provide its helicopter in the search. A pair of Army Blackhawk helicopters involved in a training exercise nearby also was called in, according to emergency radio reports.

N&O

While this could have had a very tragic ending it is good to see that everyone is accounted for and all right. I have to wonder after looking at the Church’s website and seeing the name and the description of this camp if it was somewhat prophetic.

Survivor Camp 5th – 7th grade students
In the Uhwarrie National Forest, God’s Country Outfitters are waiting to take you on a 3 day journey known as the Survivor Challenge. Combining outdoor adventures with Bible studies, the Survivor Challenge is a chance for you to open your eyes to the many ways God prepares you and partners with you. You will overcome your fears through physical challenges, build community through group activities, and grow in confidence to do God’s work.

The Living Word Church

I hope they overcame their fears but I suspect this outing could lead to some PTSD but let’s hope not.

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