CAMILLES, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A family from Camilles is mourning the loss of their son after they say he fell from a tree stand while hunting on Nov. 26.
The family would like to send a message to hunters to pay attention to safety when hunting.
On the morning of November 26, 33-year-old Michael Rinaldo and his father Mike went hunting in Wadesport. Mike said it was a quiet and peaceful morning.
He said they all looked up at the sky when they were walking in the woods and the stars were so bright.
“We went down the path and we came to a fork in the road and I said good luck to you and he said good luck to you. I said I love you and he said I love you too.” Then they all went to their tree stand .
At 8:15 a.m., Mike said he heard a gunshot from his son’s tree stand.
“I know it’s him, it’s so close, I text him saying it’s you?”
His son didn’t respond, which Mike said was unusual because they always contacted immediately after a shot was fired so they could help each other. He tried calling him, but he still didn’t answer. He got down from the tree stand and went to his sons.
“I looked at the base of the tree and he was lying there,” Mike said. “He looked like he was sleeping and my gut told me I knew I lost my son before I found him.”
He said he tried to hug him and he was really warm in his new heated vest. Mike said his son fell from a tree stand and hit his head.
“He wasn’t wearing a seat belt and I couldn’t be mad at him because I wasn’t wearing a seat belt. I was always nagging him to put on his clothes and he would nagging me to put on our clothes, sometimes You’re just slacking off.”
After finding his son, he went out on the road to ask for help.
Michael is newlyweds. He married his wife, Larissa Rinaldo, on September 27. They have a 3 year old son.
“At first I didn’t believe it, at first I thought she kept saying it was my father-in-law who was hurt and she kept saying no it was Michael and I said no he’s fine it’s not true it didn’t happen and it still feels unreal,” Rinaldo said.
The family wanted to send a message to other hunters.
“Practice safe wearing your orange and wearing your seat belt. Everyone thinks it won’t happen to them and it could have saved his life.”
The family would like to thank the community for all their support.
