A Monticello man was killed Thursday during a huntingaccident.

Rudy Walker Jr., 43, was died Thursday when he apparently fellfrom a tree stand while bow hunting with a friend, said LawrenceCounty Sheriff Joel Thames.

The sheriff said the investigation was being led by agents withthe Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, which is theprimary agency in hunting accident cases.

According to Thames, preliminary reports indicate that Walkerwas alone at the time of the accident. The friend discoveredWalker’s body at the base of the tree with the stand and called forassistance. Walker was on his knees and slumped over, with his headlodged against a root.

“(Walker) apparently fell from the stand, which wasapproximately 15 feet high,” Thames said.

Sidney Fortenberry, Lawrence County coroner, said an autopsyreport received Saturday revealed that Walker landed on his head,snapping vertebrae that severed his spinal cord.

“He actually died instantly from the fall,” Fortenberrysaid.

Funeral services are planned for Monday at Wilson Funeral HomeChapel.