Michael and Teresa Holmes. Source: Twitter
West Yorkshire (UK): A UK court on Monday heard how a telecom worker died while his wife paralysed after the two were crushed by a herd of cows at the time they were taking a lunchtime stroll while the area was under lockdown.
Following the event outside their Netherton, West Yorkshire, home, Michael Holmes, 57, died after being crushed, and Teresa Holmes is now confined to a wheelchair.
On September 29, 2020, the pair had entered a field off Hollinghirst Lane.
Mrs. Holmes testified at the Wakefield court that no sign indicating cows with calves were in the field was present.
The pair, who had been married for 34 years and had been together since childhood, reportedly walked a public route up a steep hill without realising that many dozen cows with calves were at the top of the hill. Senior CoronerKevin McLoughlin heard this.
The cows looked to be approaching Mr. and Mrs. Holmes from behind and “accelerating” in CCTV footage from a neighbouring property.
Mr. Holmes suffered severe injuries to his chest and was declared brought dead.
Mrs. Holmes was hospitalised for six months after breaking her ribs and suffering a spinal cord injury.
The mother of two testified at the court that she had no more recall till she awoke in the hospital a few weeks later.
She admitted to the court, “I was simply so puzzled; I couldn’t figure out why I was there and my daughters eventually had to explain they had lost their dad.
Mrs. Holmes stated that she and her husband had visited the location “scores” of times and were aware that there were “sometimes” cattle there.
She claimed she had many a times chosen not to enter the field because she didn’t want to traverse an area where she knew there were cattle present.
The two dogs belonging to the couple’s daughter were also being walked while on fixed leashes, but the court heard that they were able to get away.
If there had been a sign warning that “there are animals with calves,” Mrs. Holmes claimed that they “certainly would not have entered” the field.
She declared, “They shouldn’t be on a public pathway where they might charge.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported nine cattle-related deaths in the UK in the previous five years, with a jump in incidences in 2020, according to the investigators.
Less than four months before to Mr. Holmes’ death, two walkers testified during the court that they had been pursued by cows in the same field.
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