A man died on Tuesday after falling from a tree stand while hunting in Alabama, according to police.
Family members of the 52-year-old victim found his body in a wooded area of northern Jefferson County at around midday, AL.com reported.
The man did not return home after leaving to go hunting earlier in the day, so the family decided to search for him.
After finding his body, the family members contacted Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO,) which dispatched deputies to the scene.
The sheriff's office said the man appeared to have fallen from his hunting stand. Officials are now investigating the death although no foul play is suspected. Hunting stands are platforms that are designed to be secured to trees, providing hunters with an improved view of the surrounding area.
"This man was doing everything right when it comes to hunting safety and a heartbreaking accident took his life," Sgt. Joni Money from the JCSO said in a statement.
The 52-year-old man is not the only hunter to have died recently after falling from a tree stand.
In mid-November, West Virginia man Charles Donivan also fell from a tree stand and died after his head struck a rock, according to West Virginia State Police.
Officials responded to the scene at around 8 a.m. on November 16 but the 48-year-old had stopped breathing before they arrived and was pronounced dead at the scene.
He was hunting with his son, who tried performing CPR on the victim before emergency responders arrived.
In late October, Georgia resident Zach Getskow fell around 25 feet after his tree stand collapsed while he was hunting deer in Taylor County, Georgia Outdoor News reported.
Getskow sustained several injuries and spent 11 days in hospital after the accident. He is now fighting to walk again.
"I broke my L1 vertebra, compressed my spinal cord and fractured my pelvis," Zach told Georgia Outdoor News in November. "My right wrist is messed up, and I have a wrap on it now. They wound up putting two rods and eight screws in my back."
"I have gained movement back in my thighs, from the knees up," he said. "From the knee down, I can't get them to respond. Lying on the bed, I can lift my legs up off of it, so that gives me something to look forward to."
