Farmer attacked by cow in West Row
Cattle on Hurdle Drove, West Row.
A dairy farmer was moments from death after one of his herd launched a “sustained attack” in West Row.
The incident happened at High Post Farm, in Hurdle Drove, on Friday evening.
The 52-year-old man slipped as he tried to flee from the charging cow, which was guarding its three-day-old calf.
He suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding and spent two days at West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, receiving treatment.
Among the team of medics called to the incident at about 5.40pm was volunteer doctor Andrew Mason, of emergency medical charity the Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS).
Mr Mason said the farmer was lucky to be alive.
“It was a nasty incident and the third one I have dealt with during my 20-year career – the other two were fatal.
“The cow had a calf at foot and they get very protective.
“The farmer was in the farmyard dealing with another cow but the cow with the calf obviously felt its offspring was under threat and charged at him.
“The farmer slipped as he was trying to get away and it got him down on the ground and began launching a sustained attack.
“The cow gave up its attack spontaneously. If it had carried on I am sure I would have been dealing with my third fatality.”
Mr Mason said mature Simmentals, the breed of cow which attacked the farmer, can weigh anything from 1,100lbs to 1,500lbs.
He said cows can cause a “tremendous amount of damage” by rolling on people, stamping on them, or using their heavy heads to butt them.
Following the attack, the farmer managed to stagger back to his home but collapsed soon after.
Dr Mason said: “We administered a clot stabiliser to limit the ammount of internal bleeding and a very powerful painkiller as he was in some considerable pain.”
Mr Mason said attacks by cows in the UK were more common than people thought, with two to three deaths a year attributed to cattle in the UK.
He advised walkers to be vigilant when encountering cows with calves.
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Sunday 19 May 2013
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