Man Trampled To Death By Cows While Walking Dogs, Wife Paralysed

A man was trampled to death by a herd of cows and his wife was left paralyzed after they were attacked by a herd of cows while walking their dogs.

The cow stampede that took place in Wakefield, a city in West Yorkshire, England, in September 2020, was survived unscathed by the dogs.

Michael Holmes, 57, was pronounced dead at the scene, and his wife, Teresa, was airlifted to the hospital following the incident. Holmes suffered 35 rib fractures and the sack of his heart was lacerated, an inquest was told Tuesday, according to Manchester Evening News.

The couple who were both working from home used their lunch break to walk their daughter's dogs, Neville and Luna, and was doing the same on the day of the fatal accident. The couple was walking the route, which they took "scores of times" and knew there were cattle but couldn't see them that day due to steep hills, Yahoo News reported.

Teresa, who was knocked unconscious in the attack, awoke to learn about her husband's death at the hospital. She took six long months to recover from her injuries which included spinal fractures, spinal cord injuries, and fractured ribs and she was left wheel-chair bound for life.

The couple was just 20 feet away from reaching a footpath as they were crossing a field with their dogs on a lead when the cows "accelerated" toward them and ambushed them, footage from the nearby CCTV camera showed.

The injured couple was found by a neighbor who spotted their dogs after the canines escaped the spot with their leads on. Paramedics arrived at the scene after the man raised an alarm.

Teresa said she had to take medical retirement after the incident. "Quite often we would come in a reverse way to the field and we've seen cattle and said we won't go across the field. We'd take a different route. I don't remember the incident, which is a good thing really because what happened must have been horrific. I worked for children's services at Leeds City Council, I loved that job, but after this, I just felt like I couldn't do this job," she told the court.

Holmes' wife described him as a "family man" who had his "own unique wit."