A WOMAN who suffered multiple injuries when she was trampled by cows was last night critically ill in hospital.

Helen Cowmeadow was knocked down and trampled by ten Hereford cows which had crowded around her dog in a field near Bloxham.

The mother-of-three staggered half a mile to a nearby road to raise the alarm.

She was taken to The Horton Hospital in Banbury where she was last night in intensive care.

Mrs Cowmeadow, a physiotherapist at the same hospital, had been walking her border terrier dog Macca on a footpath that crossed a field near the village.

Her husband, Dr Peter Little, said all her ribs were broken and both her collar bones. He said: "How the hell she managed to walk half a mile in that condition is incredible. Quite honestly it is a miracle.

"It is bad enough being involved in a car accident but to be set upon by cows and to be trampled on is an awful experience. My wife has been through a terrible ordeal and we are praying she makes a full recovery.

Dr Little, commercial manager at Horticultural Res- earch International, near Stratford, added: "I would like to warn all walkers to be careful when walking in open fields which contain livestock."

Cattle expert Chris Brough, a lecturer in animal production at the Royal Agricultural College in Gloucestershire, said such an incident was rare but more likely to happen at this time of the year.

He said: "Cattle, especially young heifers and bullocks, are easily spooked because they have spent the winter in a barn and are not used to people or dogs. It takes a while for them to settle into their new surroundings."

The couple, of The Old Manor, Little Bridge Road, Bloxham, have have been married for 20 years and have three children aged 16, 15 and 11.

The cause of the accident on Wednesday is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.

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