Incident number: 1285
Date of incident: 04.07.26
Location: Exminster footpath 3, between RSPB land and the Exeter Canal at Turf Lock.
Status: Group of walkers (between 3 and 5) with no dog on PRoW
Roger’s account of the incident
“We were walking back to the RSPB footpath, ant 8pm, after a meal at the Turf pub. The path crosses a field, but is not marked at that point. There was a small herd of cows in the field, which we had already passed once earlier, on our way to the pub. We tried to avoid the cows, but they came running over to us. We continued around the edge of the field, shouting and waving at the cows, to keep them away. But one of them walked up to a woman in our group, and head butted her to the ground. She got up, realised that her arm was broken, and ran with the other two of us to the gate, where we escaped. We returned back to our car and I drove to Exeter hospital, where the arm was x rayed and set in a cast. The following week, she had an operation to set the broken bones and insert a plate, to aid recovery.
We reported the incident to the landowners, the pub, the Council, the police, and the Health and Safety Executive.”
Cattle Safety 