Man escapes death in Blacko cow stampede

Jamie Patterson (30) of the Moorcock Inn, Blacko, said he is lucky to be alive after two cows kicked and trampled on him as he walked his two dogs in a field close to his home.

Mr Patterson had taken dogs Daisy and Archie on one last walk before he was due to set off on a holiday to Germany the following day, when he was set on by the full-grown cows around 6 p.m.

He said: “I was on the last leg of the walk and on my way back to the restaurant. I must have been about halfway through the field and I turned around and there were two large black-brown cows behind me. I did not have time to run, they just rammed into the small of my back.”

Mr Patterson, who works at the family-run pub, blacked out as the next thing he remembers was being at home. He added: “I do not know how I got home. I felt lucky I had the dogs with me and can only assume they distracted the cows.”

His mum Janet said she had started to worry when golden retriever Daisy came running back to the pub alone and distressed: “One of the dogs came running back petrified and crying. When Jamie came back he was very disorientated and couldn’t remember what had happened. He was very confused.”

During the attack Mr Patterson suffered a blow to the head and a black eye, as well as bruises and cuts to his face and body. He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital where he was kept overnight to undergo tests and a CT scan before being discharged.

They now want to warn walkers who use the field – accessed via the field next to the Moorcock Inn car park.

Janet said: “Jamie could have been killed. People need to be aware of this particular area as there are so many walkers and the cows can be very unpredictable.”

And this is not the first time such a thing has taken place. Mr Patterson added: “There have been a few other incidents, one lady was trapped against a wall and a mother and daughter were chased out of the field in the last week. It’s not worth thinking about what could have happened if the cows had turned on them.”

Tom Partridge, Pendle Council’s countryside access officer said: “The farmer was concerned about what had happened to Mr Patterson and has agreed to put up warning signs for walkers. Our advice to walkers is to take care when walking near cattle, particularly with dogs. Cows with calves can feel threatened so if you are walking a dog and the cows become disturbed, let your dog off the lead until you have left the field.”