Warning about the danger of cows after Cheshire woman trampled to death
Video report by Granada Reports Correspondent Victoria Grimes
A grieving son is urging people to be more aware of the dangers of cows when walking through fields, after his mum was trampled to death.
74 year old Kathryne McKellar from Macclesfield was on holiday in Clitheroe in September 2022 when she set off on a walk with her dog Archie.
Just hours later the dog returned to their holiday home without her.
She had walked on a public footpath through a cow field, where her body was later found.
Today an inquest into her death has recorded a narrative conclusion. The coroner said it was impossible to say exactly what happened to Kathryne but injuries were consistent with cow trampling
Her family are still coming to terms with the shock of her death. Son Andy says he still can't believe it
"When you find out the next day that your Mum isn't here any more she is dead and then you find out what happened it is incredibly difficult, she's my Mum, a sister, an auntie and great grandma, taken from us in the horrific manner"
Andy says his Mum was an experienced walker who loved the outdoors and respected the countryside "she enjoyed lots of walking holidays, hikes and exploring the countryside. She was a member of the National Trust, always had the ordnance survey map around her neck and knew where she was going"
Kathryne was walking her dog on a fixed lead, but there were no signs or notifications to warn of any dangers. The family have been told there were 25 calves, 26 cows and one bull in the field at the time.
Kathryne's attack is not an isolated incident.
David Clarke set up the Killer Cows campaign group after he was attacked by cows in 2014.
He was left with serious injuries including a lacerated liver. He says incidents are more common than people think and is calling for more fencing, signage and public liability insurance on all farms.
Sharon Eley was left fighting for her life and unable to walk for four months after she was trampled by cows while out walking her dog in May 2022. She was left with 15 broken ribs, a punctured lung, shattered ankle, broken collarbone and a ligature marks around neck after her bag got caught and started to strangle her.
She said the cows charged her so she was thrown up in the air and they started head butting her while she was on the ground "I got up and they pushed me over again and I thought this is not good I am going to die here"
Sharon had walked in the field many times before with no issues. She only managed to crawl to safety after another walker entered the other end of the field and managed to distract the herd.
Sharon has since been diagnosed with PTSD.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety, it says serious incidents with cattle are rare - but when attacks do occur, they often involve cows protecting calves, and also dogs.
They say farmers have a legal responsibility to manage their herds to reduce any risk to people using footpaths, HSE provide guidance on how to do that.
Andy McKellar is backing the campaign to raise awareness of the danger posed by cows and says his family's tragedy should be a warning to others.