Teacher catapulted to death by cow in front of her grandchildren
A FAMILY walk in the countryside turned to horror when a grandmother was killed by a cow that charged towards her.
Breaking away from a stampeding herd, the animal repeatedly butted Marian Clode, 61, before ‘catapulting’ her into the air and over a gate.
She landed in a field with such force that she suffered a broken neck.
The primary school teacher died two days later in hospital. Doctors said her injuries were consistent with being in a ‘high-speed car crash’.
Last night the Health and Safety Executive said it has launched an investigation into the incident.
Mother-of-three Mrs Clode and her husband Christopher, 63, were on an Easter holiday with daughter, Lucy, 38, son-inlaw Kevin Rowe, 43, and grandchildren Charlotte, seven, and Oliver, nine.
The family had rented a cottage at Swinhoe Farm, near the village of Belford in Northumberland – and planned to go walking, horseriding and sightseeing.
They were enjoying a walk in the Cheviot Hills on April 3 – the first day of their stay – and were returning on a public bridleway a few hundred yards from the cottage when they saw up to 20 cows with calves running towards them.
According to farmer Alistair Nixon, it was the dairy herd’s first time out on the grass after winter, so they were keen to ‘exercise their legs’.
Mrs Clode, who was leading the party by some distance, tried to press herself against a gate in an effort to keep out of
‘It is a sound I will never forget’
the animals’ way.
Her daughter said: ‘The cows were on her in a flash. It seemed they would just pass her but one cow saw her, turned round and began scraping its hooves on the ground … My mother, who was standing perfectly still, screamed.
‘It is a sound I will never forget – and then the cow charged at her, hitting her with an almighty force in the chest.
‘As we hurried to help her the cow repeated this not once but twice and then put its head down and catapulted my mother over the gate.’
The family shouted at the herd, which parted, and they were able to get into the field and attend to Mrs Clode, who was unconscious. Son-in-law Mr Rowe called for an ambulance and as the farmer arrived on a quad bike they tried to resuscitate her.
She was airlifted to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary but died two days later.
Last night the family said farmers have a duty of care to the public whenever they move livestock.
Civil servant Mr Clode said: ‘The cattle were stampeding towards us, no one leading them, and the farmer was nowhere to be seen.
‘It is incredible a herd of cattle was left to run out of control on a bridleway when there was a high likelihood walkers would be on it.’
The HSE advises farmers to ‘plan how to safely move individual cattle, the whole herd, or part of it’ and that ‘inadequately controlled cattle on roads can cause public concern, damage or injury’.
Mr Nixon, 56, said he was on the quad bike in front of the herd with a stockman behind. But he added: ‘The cattle broke past us, which is why there was nobody in front.
‘We thought about chasing after them, but [that] would actually aggravate them into running faster. Unfortunately people were on the track. It was the first time [the cows] had been turned out on the grass. They had been in the winter housing for a long time so it was their first chance to exercise their legs. We were adhering to the health and safety regulations…We tried to do everything right. This time it went wrong and has resulted in something tragic.’
Mrs Clode’s family, who live in Hyde, Greater Manchester, are now taking legal advice. They say they are devastated to lose ‘a funny, intelligent, beautiful grandmother, mother and wife’.
Gordon Cartwright of JMW Solicitors, acting on the family’s behalf, said: ‘Their principal reason for speaking out at what is a terribly distressing time is that they want to prevent other families going through such a traumatic experience.’
The HSE’s Rick Brunt said cattle were ‘generally docile’ but ‘may react in a threatening manner’ if there is an unusual disturbance or because of maternal instincts.