NATCHEZ — Local businessman Marlon Copeland is recovering and in stable condition after a Saturday fall that broke his back, neck and sternum and left him with a punctured lung.

Copeland was working to repair a cathedral ceiling in his residence’s family room Saturday afternoon when the ladder on which he was standing slipped out from under him, said Barbara Winkworth, who spoke on behalf of the Copeland family.

Copeland was airlifted from Natchez to University Medical Center in Jackson and was placed in the intensive care unit, where he remains, though his status was upgraded from critical to stable Monday, Winkworth said.

Word of the accident spread through the community quickly Sunday morning, Winkworth said, and the family has appreciated the support.

“I would ask for prayer at this point,” Winkworth said. “He is getting extremely good care, Mrs. Copeland is extremely pleased with the care he has received, and all we can do is pray for his recovery.”

Copeland, along with his wife Charlotte, is a co-owner of and broker at Century 21 River Cites Realty.