Carlton hunter who fell from tree stand thankful for help from first responders

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 October 2019 at 1:02 pm

Provided photo: Tyler Jurs is pictured with a deer last year. Jurs was badly injured Monday when he fell from a tree stand.

CARLTON – A hunter who fell from a tree stand Monday is thankful for the volunteer firefighters, COVA medics and Mercy Flight helicopter that came to his rescue.

Tyler Jurs, 27, was building a tree stand off Lake Ontario State Parkway in Carlton on land owned by Lynn-Ette and Sons, a farm where his brother works and father recently retired from.

Tyler was putting steel steps in an ash tree. He was about 8 feet up, standing partly on a branch when it snapped. Tyler plunged downward and one of the steel steps tore into his thigh. He had a huge gash from above his knee to his hip.

He called 911, and used his own belt as a tourniquet. He learned about the importance of trying to stop the bleed as a member of the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company the past two years.

He was about 400 feet from the road. He credits the makeshift tourniquet for keeping him alert.

Matt Hughson, a Carlton firefighter, was the first on scene. He saw Jurs’ truck by the road and headed into the woods. He was a welcome sight for Jurs.

Another Carlton firefighter, Seth Dumrese, appeared and put an actual tourniquet on Jurs.

“It was nice to see familiar faces,” Jurs said today. “They were my friends. It was comforting to see them.”

He still needed to wait in the woods for an all-terrain vehicle with a backboard. The Lyndonville Fire Department was contacted and they brought the ATV. They transported Jurs to the road, and he was then taken by Mercy Flight.

He was discharged from Strong Memorial Hospital on Thursday. He is taking some steps on his feet, while being on the mend. He looks forward to getting back to work with the DOT, where he is a maintenance worker and drives a plow truck during the winter.

Jurs is used to responding to others in need. He now has a deeper appreciation for firefighters, medics and Mercy Flight.

“You guys are all amazing,” Jurs posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday. “You guys have no idea how much it means to have you all there and reassuring me that I would be OK. Without you guys could have been a totally different story.”

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