Horror as mum is trampled to death by a herd of stampeding cows while walking her beloved dog
A MUM was trampled to death by a herd of stampeding cows while walking her beloved dog.
Kathy McKellar, 74, was found dead in a field near her rented holiday cottage in Grindle, , surrounded by 25 Limousin cows, as well as calves and bulls.
The cottage's owner, John Towler, came across her cockapoo Archie, who had made his way back to the cottage, on September 25 last year.
Unable to find Kathy, he called 999 and went out to look for her.
The next morning, while checking his cattle, Mr Towler found her body in one of his fields.
Kathy was pronounced dead at the scene, with a post-mortem CT scan revealing that she died from traumatic chest injuries.
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Her son Andy told an inquest at Accrington Town Hall on February 6: "She would go on this sort of holiday regularly, she did everything for herself, and she brought up my brother and I pretty much on her own.
"She loved being outside and walking the dog; it was their happy place.
"We lost my nan two years ago from old age so mum liked to come back up here to feel more connected to her part of the world. Although she was 74 she was still working part-time."
Mr Towler told the inquest he has never had any issues with his cows or bulls being aggressive or being scared of dogs.
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However, the assistant coroner heard that a woman had been injured in one of his fields in 2018 after disturbing sleeping cows.
The Health and Safety Executive, though, concluded that he had followed all guidance issued to farmers regarding keeping the public safe.
Despite this, Mr Towler was issued with a notice requiring him to fence off the public footpath in that specific field.
Assistant Coroner Kate Bisset returned a narrative conclusion.
