A Shetland crofter died when a pregnant cow jumped on top of her and repeatedly kicked its legs, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.
Patricia Wishart passed away at around 4.30pm on March 6 last year at the croft she had run with her husband in Tumblin, Bixter, for four decades.
During the inquiry at Lerwick Sheriff Court yesterday, Procurator Fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said a post-mortem confirmed that the 62-year-old died from chest and abdominal injuries.
He suggested that the tragic death stemmed from a “human decision” in an occupation fraught with “inherent” danger.
The inquiry heard from a member of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who believed that there could have been different consequences if the cow’s pen was more robustly secured and if Mrs Wishart didn’t attend to the animal face-on.
Mr Mackenzie called a total of three witnesses to give evidence, including two police staff who dealt with the case at the time.
The inquiry was told that Mrs Wishart checked on a cow, which was close to giving birth, in a pen in a byre.
She climbed through a large gap in railings by ducking under the pen’s top pole, but the “startled” cow jumped on Mrs Wishart and pinned her down.
The inquiry heard that as the cow attempted to regain its footing, it repeatedly kicked its legs, hitting Mrs Wishart in the process.
She was found stuck under the cow by her husband Robert, who attempted to bat away the animal before trying in vain to save her with CPR.
An HSE staff member suggested that the byre was arranged in an “ad-hoc” way that would not be recommended by the organisation, with scaffolding poles forming pens.
Mrs Wishart also attended to the cow head-on, which increased the likelihood of the animal reacting in defence, especially as it was pregnant.
Summing up, Mr Mackenzie suggested that complacency with farming methods wasn’t an issue.
He said the incident was a “human tragedy”.
