Falling from a tree stand is like a car wreck or cancer -- it only happens to someone else, until it happens to you. And when it does, it can change a life forever. Or end it.

It's difficult to pin down the number of tree stand accidents, or whether the trend is rising or falling. Many falls are never reported, and some state wildlife agencies, including the Pennsylvania Game Commission, don't keep detailed records of tree stand mishaps.

There are enough statistics, though, to verify that falling from a tree stand is an ever-present possibility for hunters. Maryland had 111 tree stand accidents reported between 1990 and 1998; five were fatal. In the 2005-2006 Georgia hunting seasons, 54 percent of all hunting-related accidents were tree stand accidents; two Georgia hunters were killed in those falls. A recent study conducted by the International Hunter Education Association found that 7 percent of hunters using elevated stands had experienced a fall in the past 10 years. Results of a 1993 survey by Deer and Deer Hunting magazine indicated that 1 in 3 hunters who hunt from elevated stands will fall at some time in their hunting careers.

John Louk, executive director of the Treestand Manufacturers Association (TMA), based in Hattiesburg, Miss., questions the results of the Deer and Deer Hunting survey, but acknowledges that hunting from a tree is inherently dangerous.

"Tree stand accidents cannot be entirely avoided," said Louk, "but there are things you can do to protect yourself."

Professionals say the single most important thing hunters can do to protect themselves while hunting from elevated stands is to wear a full-body safety restraint system, or harness. A full-body harness supports a fallen hunter's weight across the chest, shoulders, waist, buttocks and legs. Louk said such systems are far superior to single-strap restraints that can injure or kill by "suspension trauma" unless the hunter can return to the stand within a few seconds.

TMA research done in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission found that 82 percent of all hunters injured in tree stand falls were not wearing a safety harness. Wearing a harness is essential because no hunter can control all the circumstances that might cause a fall.

"There are just too many variables involved -- the weather, the tree and the stands themselves. They are mechanical devices and subject to failure," said Capt. C.W. Schollar of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Section, who has investigated tree stand accidents in the Mountain State's eastern panhandle. "And then you have the human factor. People who are normally competent and cautious can have one mental lapse, then it's too late."

A normally competent and successful Western Pennsylvania bowhunter had such a mental lapse last November. He was not wearing a harness, but lived to share a warning with others.

Steve Sutton, of Elizabeth, was hunting deer in Washington County on Nov, 10, 2007.

"You hear the stories but assume it will never happen to you. I considered myself Superman when it comes to climbing a tree," Sutton said. "I was in a hurry because I knew this big buck was running this hill around noon. I was pulling my bow up by a rope, like you are supposed to do, but my bow snagged on a limb. I yanked the rope too hard, the bow came loose suddenly and I lost my balance."

Sutton fell 30 feet fracturing every rib on the right side of his body, some as many as six times. His collarbone shattered and his shoulder blade broke in two. Bones in his right wrist fractured and his right femur broke near the hip. One lung collapsed from the impact.

Three hours later, as chilly darkness loomed, a passerby walking his dog found Sutton at the base of the tree. Had the dog not scented him, it is doubtful that Sutton would have survived the night.

"I never wore a harness. I didn't like the restrictions of it or the inconvenience," Sutton said. "But from now on, if I go 5 feet off the ground I will be wearing a harness. There were a lot of people counting on me to be careful, because they need me here. But I was selfish. I thought only of myself. But no more."