STARKEY — A 20-year-old man was injured Saturday, Sept. 4, when he fell from a tree in the greater Starkey area.

The man, who is believed to have been in a tree stand while bow hunting, fell around 2:30 p.m. His partner then made a phone call for help. The individual later met an ambulance crew from the La Grande Fire Department along Highway 244 and led it to the victim, about a mile from the highway on Forest Service Road 5160, according to Union County Emergency Manager Nick Vora. The victim was then driven via ambulance to Grande Ronde Hospital, La Grande.

Vora said an attempt was made to get a Life Flight helicopter to transport the patient to a medical center, but the helicopter’s flight to the Starkey area was canceled because of poor visibility due to wildfire smoke.

In addition to the La Grande Fire Department and Life Flight, the Union County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the accident, along with Union County Search and Rescue and the La Grande Rural Fire Department. Life Flight, the search and rescue squad and the and the fire department all were cancelled while en route to the scene.