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JUST A FEW REFERENCES ON TREESTANDS FROM MEDICAL JOURNALS

From the CPSC publication, "Hunting Treestands and Harnesses Pub. #5200":

Every hunting season, hunters are killed or seriously injured as a result of falls related to the use of hunting treestands. From 2005 through 2007, 41 treestand related deaths were reported to CPSC, and CPSC staff estimates about 19,000 treestand related injuries during the same period. Many incidents occur while hunters are stepping onto or from the treestand’s platform.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S108060322030065X

From the Wisconsin study:

CONCLUSION: Injuries sustained from tree stand falls are a significant source of spinal injury and neurological dysfunction, leading to lifelong morbidity. The majority of spine fractures are treated nonoperatively; however, enough patients require surgical intervention that consultation with a neurosurgical or orthopedic spine surgeon is prudent. Because it is more common to have multiple spine fractures from a tree stand fall, evaluating the entire spine for additional fractures is recommended if one fracture is identified. The primary treatment of tree stand injuries is prevention. Educational initiatives published previously demonstrates that increased public awareness of the risks associated with hunting and tree stand use led to fewer tree stand falls associated with spinal cord injury. It is our hope to lower the rate of tree stand falls in Wisconsin through increased patient education and public awareness, and to see a secondary decrease in the number of traumatic spinal injuries in hunters. Physicians participating in the care of this patient population can help by promoting hunter education; the routine, appropriate use of safety harnesses; and the fabrication of tree stands at 10 feet high or less.