A farming couple has issued a warning through the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI) for people to be aware of the risks of working with livestock.
Carol and Richard Rettie have personal experience of the risks, when a bull panicked while being handled for their bull livery service in March 2019.
The couple hope their experience will remind people to “take a little extra time” to minimise the risks when working with livestock.
Carol sustained very serious injuries from the incident, including five broken ribs and a lung puncture, and she needed surgery to her eyes and ear.
Recalling the incident, Carol described the bull as one of the quietest she had ever handled up until she began blow drying him ahead of a visit by a prospective buyer.
“I’d washed the bull and was getting him ready for blow drying when things changed completely in just a matter of seconds,” she said.
“All I did was flick the drier flex to get a little more length to work with but that simple action startled him leading to me dropping the hose of the blower.
“The hose then started to snake underneath him because I couldn’t turn it off which startled him even more and I got slammed into the side against the gate multiple times. I remember slipping down the gate and thinking, this is it, I’m not getting out of this.”
Carol was able to get out when the bull briefly turned around, but she does not remember much after that other than lying on the concrete and being unable to see and struggling to breathe.
Air ambulance
Richard was feeding some cattle nearby when he heard Carol, ran round and immediately called 999.
“The air ambulance arrived shortly after and they were brilliant,” he said.
“Given the discomfort Carol was in, there was no way she could have travelled to the hospital in an ambulance, and being flown there also cut down the travel time considerably on a busy Friday afternoon.”
The couple said they are incredibly grateful for the medical support they received.
“I can remember the doctor who treated me on the way to Ninewells was so kind. I ended up being known as ‘the bull lady’ in Ninewells and I couldn’t have been treated any better by the doctors and staff there. I am so grateful to them all,” Carol said.
“Anything can happen within just a few split seconds,” Richard said.
“Just try to assess situations to see if there’s a safer way you can do things and avoid putting yourself in potential danger, even if it’s something you’ve done a hundred times.
“Just be careful, don’t do anything unless it’s necessary and please don’t take a chance.”
