CONTACT:
Sgt. Alex Lopashanski
603-744-5470
603-271-3361
November 15, 2024
Freedom, NH – On Thursday, November 14, shortly after 7:00 a.m. New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified that a hunter had fallen from a tree stand and was injured in the woods off of Route 153 in Freedom. The hunter was Scott Seamans, 52, of Center Ossipee, NH. Seamans had been in the stand for nearly half an hour when he adjusted his position. The cables that support the platform he was standing on snapped and the platform folded down. He fell nearly 16 feet to the ground. Seamans suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was able to call 911 and guide rescuers to his location.
Members of the Freedom Fire Department and Center Ossipee Fire Department responded. Rescuers located Seamans nearly half a mile from the road. They stabilized his injuries, packaged him in a litter, and brought him out to a waiting ambulance. He arrived back at the ambulance shortly before 8:30 a.m. and was transported to the Memorial Hospital in North Conway for treatment.
NH Fish and Game would like to remind hunters out using elevated stands to check straps and replace cables as necessary, especially on stands which have spent considerable periods of time out in the elements. Wearing a properly fitted and secured safety harness is also recommended.