Virginia hunter dies after a bear fell from tree and landed on him

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A Virginia hunter has died from injuries he suffered when a bear he and others were tracking fell from a tree and landed on him.

According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR), it was alerted to a “hunting accident” around 9:50 a.m. on Dec. 9 in Lunenburg County, about 130 kilometres southwest of the state capital, Richmond.

Their preliminary investigation found that Lester Clayton Harvey Jr. was part of a group of hunters who followed a bear until it climbed up a tree to escape them.

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As the group of hunters was moving away from the tree, one of them reportedly fired and struck the bear causing it to fall on top of Harvey who was standing roughly 10 feet from the base.

In an emailed statement to the National Post, VDWR said one of the hunters provided first aid until first responders arrived to take Harvey to the VCU South Hill hospital.

The 58-year-old was then transported to the VCU Medical Center in Richmond in serious, but stable condition. However, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Friday, Dec. 13.

The department said they are not seeking to file charges related to the incident.

According to his obituary, the married Phenix, Virginia, man was a father of five — three sons and two daughters — and grandfather to eight.

A “self-employed contractor” and “avid outdoorsman,” he was described by his family as “a friend to all and never met a stranger.”

In a Facebook post featuring images of their life and family, his widow, April Dawn Harvey, said her husband “wasn’t doing anything wrong” and that “he was just trying to get his dog.”

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“I went from having the best husband and a man that loved me so much and a man I loved my heart and soul to being a widow at 48 years old,” she wrote.

Another video post shows Harvey dancing with one of his sons, Josh, who noted in his own post that he was among the group when his father was injured “doing what he loves most.”

In his posts before his father’s passing, Josh spoke highly of his father’s caring, work ethic and love for hunting.

After his father passed, he vowed to take care of his mother and younger brother, Jack.

“Give the bear hell up there,” he wrote.

Lindsay Bender, one of Harvey’s daughters, also spoke proudly of him.

“He put a roof on with vertigo, framed houses with sickness, he never missed work,” she wrote. “Well unless there was a good hunt to be had.“

On Tuesday, her birthday, she wrote that the day was anything but happy.

“Dad would have called and said ‘you feel old today?’ And we would have laughed. I can hear him saying, ‘daddy loves you.’”

Harvey’s funeral is set for Thursday.

The National Post has contacted Harvey’s family for comment.

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