A woman aged 59 lost her life in a tragic incident where she was fatally trampled by a group of cows while walking her dog, according to details shared at a coroner’s hearing. The victim, Rebecca Jane Hitchings, was on a stroll with her dog on Exmoor when the unfortunate encounter with the cows occurred in Devon.
Residing in Woodcombe near Minehead, Somerset, the retired nurse met her untimely demise at a hospital in Plymouth following the incident, where she succumbed to severe injuries sustained in the cow trampling. The coroner, Philip Spinney, reported that Ms. Hitchings was discovered in a field with significant wounds and was airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, but despite medical efforts, she could not be saved.
The official cause of death was determined to be hemorrhagic shock resulting from blunt trauma, with the coroner’s office recording her passing on Thursday, October 16th. The inquest proceedings have been adjourned for a later comprehensive hearing, with plans to likely transfer the case to the Somerset coroner, as stated by Mr. Spinney.
This sad news follows a recent incident in Austria where an 85-year-old hiker was fatally trampled by a herd of cows while accompanied by his wife and pet dog. The couple was ambushed by nine cows as they made their way to a mountain hut in Ramsau am Dachstein in Styria province, with witnesses speculating that the cows might have been spooked by the couple’s canine companion.
Good Samaritans from the area rushed to aid the couple, who were subsequently rushed by emergency services to a hospital in Salzburg. Tragically, the man passed away before emergency surgery could be performed, prompting a police investigation into the circumstances leading up to the fatal cow attack.
Visitors are urged to exercise caution when in cow-populated areas, especially when accompanied by dogs, as the presence of canines may agitate the animals and potentially incite aggressive behavior.
In a separate incident earlier this year in China, a farmer met a tragic end after being fatally crushed by one of his cows during a feeding session. The elderly farmer was attacked by a cow while providing food, leading to a fatal confrontation where the cow repeatedly struck the man as he lay injured on the ground, causing immense suffering.
This distressing episode unfolded in central China on Friday, April 11, with local reports detailing the farmer’s routine visit to the cowshed to feed the animals, which took a tragic turn resulting in his fatal injuries.
