Wear a Safety Belt

Wear A Safty Belt

By Larry Self

Deer season is one of the most anticipated events of the year. As you have sat perched in your treestand waiting on that perfect shot so far this season, were you wearing your safety belt?

Maybe you’re reading this and plan on heading out early in the morning. Are you planning to wear your safety belt? Those are questions sportsman Craig Johnson wants you to ask yourself. If you haven’t been or aren’t planning to, you might want to do some soul searching after you finish reading this.

On opening day of bow season two years ago, Johnson survived a fall from his treestand but was still in danger and would be facing paralysis. Accidents happen, some can be prevented, some can’t and others were just meant to be. However you look at it, Craig wanted to be the one this year to bring the message to you -- and it’s a clear one…be safe by wearing your belt.

At 28 years of age, Johnson said he’s done it all. From hunting to fishing, there hasn’t been too many gamefish or animals that he hasn’t pursued and taken in the last 15 years or so. Since the age of nine, or what he calls forever, Johnson has hunted with his father Johnny and brothers Tim and Lynn.

Unfortunately, his pursuit in the outdoors has been put on hold because of what he admits was a mistake.

He says it doesn’t take long to put a safety belt on and the little aggravation associated with wearing it is worth it. Treestand-related accidents lead the way when it comes to hunting mishaps, with several occurring every year.

“If you don’t put a safety belt on for yourself, put it on for your kids,” said Johnson as he looked in the direction of his youngest daughter Maggie. “It affects them as much as it affects me.” Johnson also has another daughter Kristen and one stepdaughter Samantha. Sylvia, the girl he was dating when he fell, has stuck by his side and married him.

Looking back to that opening day, Johnson doesn’t seem to have any trouble remembering the details of the accident. The day before the hunt a friend told him that as high as his treestand was at 35-feet, if he should fall – it would kill him. After that conversation, Johnson bought a safety belt to use for the opening hunt and the rest of the

Season.

“It didn’t get used,” recalled Johnson, because he left it in the truck as he quickly headed for his stand, trying to get in before daylight. He made it to the stand before dawn and just about an hour after daylight, he could see deer making their way towards him. He stood quickly to get the shot with his bow, immediately became dizzy, and simply fell after blacking out for a split second. Johnson says he was fully conscious as his fall covered the 35-foot distance to the ground where he hit headfirst.

One vision that remains in his mind is the deer he had stood to take a shot at didn’t spook and run, but stayed close by looking at him as he lay motionless on the ground.

“I knew right away that I was hurt bad,” added Johnson. His friend, Ronnie Shelton, had been on stand in the same area and decided to come by Johnson’s stand to check on him because of what he called a gut feeling as he was leaving for his truck at lunch. If he hadn’t, Johnson might not be offering this warning to other hunters.

Before Shelton decided to check on his friend more than five hours had passed since the fall. Johnson was not only unable to move but couldn’t yell for help due to his injuries. One year later, he still is not able to talk any louder than a person’s normal volume of voice due to the paralysis’ effect on his diaphragm. At first Shelton wanted to try to get Johnson out of the woods, but Johnson told his friend, “I’m paralyzed.” Shelton went for help and the traumatized hunter was airlifted to a trauma medical center. Three long, hard months later his hospital and rehab stays were over, and he came home to a different world.

At the present time, Johnson has no feeling from just below his collarbones down. He has regained about 50 percent of the use of his arms but is unable to use his fingers and can only flex one of his wrists. His injuries are consistent with what is classified as a C-5 injury and has left him in a quadriplegic state. His paralysis was the result of fractures in his third, fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae in his neck and multiple fractures in his thoracic spine. Johnson is still facing further surgery.

“I miss it, I miss it all,” reflected Johnson of his life in the outdoors. The cool days of the approaching fall aren’t easy on the once avid hunter, who still likes to sit outside and look at deer when the opportunity arises.

“I’ll hunt before it’s over,” grinned Johnson, who hasn’t lost his spirit. “I will hunt again.”

The only thing that’s holding him back is the ability to get in the deer woods. His electric wheelchair cost enough; he says it should have 4-wheel drive to get him in and out of the woods -- but the truth is it doesn’t. With a passion to get back out there, Johnson isn’t sure if he’ll ever shoot another deer, he just wants the chance to hunt.

With all that has faced him and still does, he’s been checking out opportunities that are available to handicapped hunters and says he just has “to get rigged up” and build up his strength. Special transportation and wheelchairs are made for handicapped people and so are special guns for handicapped hunters.

The dramatic fall wasn’t Johnson’s first treestand accident. When he was 11 years old he fell from about 20-feet up from the kick of a shotgun. That accident resulted in a concussion for the young hunter. You don’t have to say it; Johnson said he should have learned from that mishap.

Some of his final hopes are others that have been discouraged about his accident will pick up their hunting lives where they left off. Johnson knows that some of his closest friends and family have a hard time deer hunting because of his condition. His message to them is to get back in the deer woods and “kill one for me.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re just 10 feet up -- wear your safety belt,” recommended Johnson, who says he has friends who still don’t wear them. “I don’t want this on anybody else.” He reminds hunters you can’t take anything for granted and to make their safety belts their best friends.

With a longing in his eyes, Johnson said, “After this, I hope Wal-Mart sells out of safety belts.”

Me too Craig, me too…