SISSONVILLE, W.Va. — Investigators with the West Virginia Natural Resources Police say a fatal accident in Kanawha County Friday wasn’t considered a hunting incident, but it was hunting related.
A man, age 69, fell while in the process of building a homemade tree stand. The victim, whose name was not released, was found dead by a relative at an area along Broad Tree Run Road near Sissonville just before 6:30 p.m.
Investigators said it’s unclear if he was killed by the fall or perhaps suffered some other medical emergency which caused his death and then the fall. The man’s body has been sent to the state Medical Examiner’s office to determine the cause of death.
According to the NRP, the tree stand was about 20 to 25 feet in the air and there was a ladder at the scene. It’s unclear from where the man fell and no way to determine how far he had fallen.
Police say the initial reports to 9-1-1 of a second victim were incorrect and the deceased victim was the only victim.