Man, 81, gored by bull while on West Cork farm

An elderly man was yesterday airlifted from a West Cork farm to hospital after he was gored by a bull and suffered multiple injuries.

The man, understood to be an 81-year-old, was attacked by the bull at a farm near Drimoleague, Co Cork, yesterday morning.

An emergency call was received in the National Aeromedical Co-ordination Centre based in Tullamore, Co Offaly, following the goring.

Valentia Coast Guard station in Co Kerry co-ordinated the removal of the man to hospital.

A spokesman for the station said they received a call for help at about 9.45am.

“The Shannon-based Rescue 115 Sikorsky S92 was dispatched to the scene. It arrived in Drimoleague at 10.30am where it landed in the local GAA pitch.”

In the meantime, an ambulance was dispatched to Drimoleague and its crew attended to the seriously injured pensioner until the helicopter arrived.

He was airlifted to Cork Airport where a waiting ambulance rushed him to Cork University Hospital.

A National Ambulance Service advanced paramedic travelled on the helicopter and continued to treat the man during the flight.

A spokesman for the HSE said it could not provide an update on the injured man’s condition.

Over the weekend, agriculture and food development authority Teagasc warned that August was traditionally a high-risk month for accidents on farms.

Teagasc health and safety officer John McNamara said that in particular, the month was very high risk for injuries caused to people on farms by animals.

Injuries from animal-related incidents accidents usually account for around 23% of farm deaths in any given year.

Meanwhile, according to the Health and Safety Authority, 59% of deaths on farms caused by animal attacks between 2002-2010 were perpetrated by bulls.

The authority said 225 deaths were caused by cattle, a further 15% by horses and 4% by other animals.