Glad he's ok.
My last three years or so of hunting with a climber, I finally wised up and started using a harness. When I first started hunting public seriously (6 or so years ago?) I used a folding stool. After saving up the money for a lightweight hand climber, I knew that hunting a mile or two back solo required a bit more attention to safety than when I hunted closer to the truck and in the company of my father.
It was a pain at first, but you get used to moving the tether up as you go. I never felt unsafe. I don't 100% buy the "saddles are safer" line. I guess you could say that using one forces you to be doing what should already be SOP, but that's about it. And you can still saddle hunt unsafely. There are guys who don't use a linemans belt, or have any type of leg/waist straps. I've been guilty myself of unclipping momentarily to move around a limb.
Everybody be safe out there. Take your time, pay attention to what you're doing, inspect your gear, inspect your tree, and let somebody (preferably a nonhunter with tight lips) know where you're hunting.