Pensioner trampled by cattle

AN AIR ambulance paramedic told how a pensioner had to be rescued after he was trampled by cattle.

The 87-year-old victim suffered suspected spinal injuries when he was crushed by cows during a shooting trip.

He had to be airlifted from the remote field in Foulden, near Thetford, and was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where he was also treated for possible head, chest and abdominal injuries.

Last night, John Stone, who works for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, said it was one of the more unusual incidents the charity gets called out to.

“We were called to Foulden at around 4pm on October 17, to a report a man had been crushed by cattle,” he said.

Mr Stone said that prior to their arrival, the victim had received immediate attention from two medical professionals who happened to be in the shooting party.

“A hospital doctor and consultant were in the party,” he said. “The doctor had a medical kit in his car, which he retrieved and was able to administer aid to the victim.”

Mr Stone, who is based at the charity's headquarters in Norwich, said the cattle had been moved off the field by the time the helicopter arrived on scene. The crew used a spinal board to transfer the man into the back of the air ambulance.

“Because of the rural location, it would have been difficult to access the man using a land ambulance, and it would have been a very uncomfortable ride for him given his injuries, which included significant chest injuries,” he said.

“But he was conscious throughout the journey to hospital, and was able to talk to us.

“I have been called to an incident where someone has been kicked by cattle before, but never when someone has been crushed, so this was quite unusual.”

The incident comes just over a month after a 54-year-old man was injured by Highland cattle as he attempted to take photographs on Sudbury's water meadows.

He was taken to Colchester General Hospital, where he was treated for cuts to his right thigh.