Who is Turtleman? Call of the Wildman's Ernie Brown Jr injured in "bad accident"

Ernie Brown Jr., also known as the "Turtleman," recently got into a "bad accident," suffering a bone fracture and other injuries. He informed his fans about the incident through a Facebook live stream while lying on a hospital bed.

Brown addressed the incident as the worst accident of his life and explained that a tree branch the size of his leg fell on him. He explained,

"I got one broken bone, and it's in my arm. I'm hurting in my chest. I got hit by a tree limb about as big as my leg."

Fans from all around the world wished the Call of the Wildman star a fast recovery.

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The nickname "Turtleman" comes from Brown's ability to catch snapping turtles with bare hands

On March 28, 1965, Brown was born to Ernie Lee Brown Sr. and Lola Brown in Kentucky. Spending most of the time outdoors, the 57-year-old caught his first snapping turtle at the tender age of 7. Later, when he was 12, he caught a 50-pound turtle that he offered to the Louisville Zoo.

Brown has caught over 12,000 turtles in his career, giving him the nickname Turtleman. He used this nickname to post videos on YouTube, which became incredibly popular. His fame on the platform caught the attention of Animal Planet, who contacted him for a show.

The network decided to air a 12 episode show with Brown called the Turtleman of Wild Kentucky but later changed it to Call of the Wildman. The new name represented Brown’s distinctive yell after successfully catching a snapping turtle.

The show ran from four seasons from 2011 to 2014, and “Banjoman” Neal James also joined the show regularly.

Brown has two daughters with his ex-wife Debbie Brown, Courtney Brown and Megan Brown. While Debbie has custody of both the girls, the two maintain a good relationship and care for them together.

The girls have had a tough life. While Megan has paralysis in her face and neck, Courtney has suffered from Juvenile (type 1) diabetes since 6. Brown actively raises awareness and funds for children suffering from Juvenile Diabetes.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Brown has a million dollar total net worth.

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This is the worst accident of Brown's life

Brown explained to his fans that the accident happened while cutting down a tree. He added that after cutting down the tree, a separate branch fell on him from 50 feet in height and hit him "across the neck and shoulders."

He continued by joking as his usual self,

"I broke that limb in two, I'll tell you that right now. Knocked me out for two minutes, but I got that limb. I don't know who won, I think it was a draw."

Doctors have conducted multiple tests and x-rays to check his body, specifically his heart and chest. The star recovered from COVID a month ago, when he was hospitalized in January 2022.

Brown playfully compared this incident to all the accidents he's had in the past. He said,

"It was one of my hardest hits — again. Except for the bull, this is the top one now, it beat the bull. It beat the car wreck and my chainsaw cut."

He needed close to 190 stitches after a guy swung a chainsaw around and hit his face. He also had a very bad car accident and once in Ohio, a piece of scrap metal hit him in the face.

Due to all the accidents in his life, the Turtleman has lost most of his teeth, leaving only seven intact.