Injured Indiana hunter chooses to end life support

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - November 5, 2013

Thirty-two-year-old Tim Bowers of Decatur died Sunday about five hours after doctors removed his breathing tube.

Bowers suffered three crushed vertebrae Saturday when he fell about 16 feet from an elevated tree stand while hunting deer. His sister Jenny Shultz of Las Vegas says her brother's brain wasn't injured in the fall.

Doctors brought Bowers out of sedation to tell him his prognosis and allow him to decide on his care.

Courts have long upheld the right of patients to refuse life support, but most decisions are made by surrogates.

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