The Stinson family is in need of help from their community again after an accident sent Dennis Stinson to IU Health Methodist Hospital Wednesday.
Stinson was flown out after he fell from a tree on Scarce O Fat Ridge Road the afternoon of March 20.
He was strapped to the tree and was changing positions to get to another limb when the fall happened, said Diana Biddle, who employs Dennis’ wife, Melissa, in the Brown County Commissioners’ office. Stinson put his foot on another limb, thought he was stable, and unhooked his strap to change positions; then, the limb that was holding him broke, Biddle said.
Biddle estimated that he fell 25 to 35 feet. Brown County Dispatch, when calling for help, reported the distance at about 15 to 20 feet.
Stinson was in surgery this afternoon. He broke all his ribs and his sternum, and fractured a vertebra, Biddle said.
Stinson received a lung transplant at Methodist in August 2015 after waiting for a match for two years. Friends and neighbors staged a charity ride for the family and donated to the Dennis Stinson Right to Breathe Fund at People’s State Bank.
The family will need financial help again after this accident, Biddle said. The Dennis Stinson Right to Breathe Fund at People’s is still open; people also can make donations to the family at the Brown County auditor’s office if they wish, Biddle said.
This story has been corrected to show that Dennis Stinson is not the owner of Stinson Tree Service LLC. He was identified as such in stories in March and July.
