I bought a deer stand a few years thinking it would give me some advantage to hunt out of after hunting on the ground all these many years.

But after hearing about a number of people I know first or second-hand who've fallen out of tree stands and broken femurs, pelvis, backs, arms, etc. some with permanent paralysis, and think what would I do even if I had a harness and slipped with a loaded firearm in my hand (e.g. try to unload it, drop it?) And how do I get back into a stand or get to the ground safely even if the harness catches me? I left the stand in my attic, in the box, where it'll probably stay.