Bull killed man who was out milking cows

Bull killed man who was out milking cows


CORONER for south Mayo, Mr John O’Dwyer, at an inquest last week, said farmers need some protection from rogue bulls after a fatal attack on a man in Kilmaine. Thomas Tierney of Cloghans Hill, Kilmaine was badly gored by his three year old bull while leading his cattle in to be milked on October 6 of this year.
Mr Tierney’s mother was alerted that there was a problem when she didn’t hear the milk machine running and decided to check on her son.
Pauline Tierney, mother of the deceased, arrived at the farm to find the animals had been put in the milking parlour, however one animal had strayed and her son was having trouble getting the bull to follow the cows.
Mrs Tierney moved the cow but when she called out to her son she got no reply.
“I could hear the bull bellowing. I could not see Thomas. I knew that there was something wrong. I went straight back to my daughter Eleanor to go to Thomas’s aid,” Mrs Tierney said.
Mr Tierney’s neighbours arrived shortly after the incident and scared the bull away by driving their tractors towards the animal.
The family was relieved when they heard Mr Tierney say, “my legs and hands are fine, I feel sore in the ribs.”
To the shock of the family, the man later died in Mayo General Hospital as the bull had broken six of his ribs, puncturing his lungs, liver and kidneys - leading to massive internal bleeding.
Consultant Pathologist Dr Fadel Bennani stated that the man had been attacked a number of time by the bull and that naturally a person protects their head in that type of situation and leaves their chest open to attack.
Dr Bennani suggested that there should be some safety measures when dealing with such a large animal stating that there may be some sort of protective jacket that could be worn as this was the second such case he had come across.
Neighbour Padraic Quinn, who tried to save the man, warned that bulls were always dangerous but necessary for farming purposes.
“The older a bull is the more vulnerable they are, especially at that time of year. A bull can be fine in the morning but turn on you in the evening. You always have to be careful when dealing with them,” Mr Quinn concluded.
The bull was put down later in the same week.