Woman thought she was going to die when attacked by a cow

A woman has told how she thought she was going to die when she was attacked by a cow while walking in the Sussex countryside.



Abby Colmer, 37, from West Dean, West Sussex, had to be airlifted to hospital with six broken ribs and a punctured lung after she was charged and trampled by a cow while walking near Devil’s Dyke. She was taking one of her regular walks across the Downs when an animal from a herd of cattle charged her. She said: “It was completely terrifying; I thought I was going to die.”

Ms Colmer added: “I was heading back towards my car and there was a little herd of cows with their calves. There was one that was looking particularly stroppy so I turned around and walked away to avoid eye contact – then I felt something slam into my back. I was winded and I went down, it was ramming me with its head and putting all its weight onto me. Six of my ribs down one side were broken and it seemed to go on forever.”



A couple who she passed on the path earlier came to her aid. She said the cow charged them, but they managed to scare it off. The three then had to climb over a barbed wire fence to escape the animal. She said: “I would really like to thank all the amazing people who cared for me – the couple who saved me, the air ambulance crew, the staff at Royal Sussex County Hospital and my family and friends.” It is understood the farmer took the decision to have the cow destroyed.