17-Year-Old Dies After Falling From Top of Hunting Platform, Impaling Himself on Own Gun

A North Carolina teen has died after fall 10 feet from the top of a platform and impaling himself with his own gun during a hunting trip in Mississippi over the weekend.

Justin Lee Smith, 17, of Supply, North Carolina, was identified as the victim. Smith was in a ladder stand Saturday afternoon when the accident occurred in Alcorn County. The platform he was on apparently shifted causing the teenager to fall, the coroner said.

When he fell, he was impaled in the chest by the barrel of his rifle. After the fall, the young man called for help but died soon after.

A state wildlife officer is investigating the accident.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for funeral costs.

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