On 1 February 2020, I was walking on the Downs near Cissbury Ring, above Worthing in Sussex, with my greyhound. We were going through a long field with cows in it.
I stopped to look at my phone to decide which way to go and check the time. When I looked up, I noticed the cows were looking at me. I wasn’t afraid of cows, so I didn’t think anything of it. When they started running towards me, I let the dog off and she ran away. At first they followed her, then they came back towards me. There wasn’t a gate or stile in sight that I could use to escape, so I stood there as they ran towards me.
I was knocked to the ground and then they ran back over me. I dropped my rucksack but, luckily, I still had my phone in my hand. I was in pain, but I managed to crawl over to a fallen tree trunk and rest next to it, where they couldn’t reach me. I called my husband, Ram, to let him know what had happened and rang the emergency services. I gave them my location with What3Words. The location was sudden.fund.pool
Then I waited. It was around 4pm and it was getting dark, so the arrival of the air ambulance from KSS was such a wonderful moment. They were able to land in a flat area of land nearby and the crew jumped out. One of them cut through my jacket and clothes so that they could examine me properly. I was in a lot of pain; I later learned I had two broken vertebrae, six broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and had a lump on my abdomen where one of the cows had trodden on me. Luckily, all my vital organs were still working. Getting me onto the stretcher was very painful, and then I was loaded into the aircraft.
They took me by air to meet a land ambulance, which then took me to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
KSS Paramedic Ben Macauley explains: “We were tasked to a remote location on the Sussex Downs where we were told someone had been trampled by cows. Arriving by aircraft, we found Kriya with a significant flail chest injury, meaning multiple rib fractures that were no longer stable, along with a suspected lumbar spine injury.
Due to the difficult terrain, we treated her at scene, carefully packaged her to minimise movement, and provided strong pain relief. We then transferred her to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton by air and road. It’s great to hear that, despite the severity of her injuries, Kriya has made such a good recovery.”
Kriya continues:
I was in hospital for just over two weeks and got some brilliant treatment and care. They gave me the option of having surgery on my spine or wearing a brace. I opted for the brace because I didn’t like the idea of surgery.
I had to wear it for a couple of months and couldn’t get out of bed without somebody putting it on for me.
I’ve not had any lasting effects following the incident. I think that’s partly down to being a yoga teacher. Fortunately, the cows didn’t hurt my pelvis. I had nightmares the first night, but now I’m pretty much back to normal. I’m still not afraid of cows, but I’m wary of them and I realise you must be careful around them.
Before my incident, I wasn’t aware of KSS or what they could do. I was surprised that the helicopter carried a highly skilled doctor and specialist paramedic. I now encourage people to make donations – we have a box at my yoga group.
Being injured by cows is apparently one of the most common causes of injury in the countryside. It’s not always a case of trampling you – sometimes people can get squashed against a gate by cows protecting their young.
I’d just like to thank Paramedic Ben and Doctor Mike for coming out and potentially saving my life. I don’t know if I would have died, but it would have been hellishly painful if they hadn’t come. I was in the middle of nowhere, and at the very least they were able to give me painkillers, which meant I had a pain-free journey to hospital. It would have been horrendous without them. I can’t thank KSS enough!
