WASHINGTON, Dec 18 — A 58-year-old man from Virginia, US, was killed after being struck by a bear that fell from a tree, following a shooting by one of his hunting partners, state wildlife officials reported.

The accident took place on December 9 in Lunenburg County, a rural area located between Richmond and Danville in central Virginia, UK news outlet The Guardian reported.

According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR), the incident occurred as a group of hunters tracked a bear, which had climbed up a tree to escape.

As the group positioned themselves below the tree, one of the hunters fired a shot, killing the bear.

However, the impact of the shot caused the animal to fall from the tree, striking Lester C. Harvey, who was standing about three metres away at the base of the tree.

Harvey, a resident of Phenix, Virginia, was knocked to the ground by the falling bear, suffering severe injuries.

A fellow hunter administered first aid at the scene before Harvey was rushed to two different hospitals for further treatment.

Despite the efforts to save him, Harvey succumbed to his injuries and passed away last Friday.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources confirmed his death in a statement, expressing condolences to the family.

This accident is the latest in a series of bizarre incidents involving falling bears. In 2018, a man in Alaska was critically injured after his hunting partner shot a bear from a ridge, causing the animal to tumble down a slope and land on him, also knocking loose rocks onto the victim.

In another instance in 2019, a man in North Carolina was injured when his hunting partner shot a bear in a tree, causing the animal to fall and bite the hunter.