Keady farmer recalls horrific and savage bull attack which left him for dead

A Keady farmer was able to miraculously walk away and raise the alarm before falling unconscious after a savage bull attack left him for dead.

Nathan Hawthorne spent six days in hospital following the horrific ordeal which happened close to his farm in  May 2018.

Nathan had been walking the bull, along with another cow up a rural laneway, when it turned violent, pinning the farmer to the ground and crushing his chest before forcing him through a barbed wire fence.

Nathan suffered a number of broken bones and severe lacerations to his back but was able to walk away and raise the alarm by calling his dad, who was in Scarva at the time. He in turn phones emergency services and a neighbour.

The neighbour attended to the stricken farmer shortly afterwards but by this stage he was beginning to slip in and out of consciousness.

Nathan’s wife Charlene was also notified of the incident – and being 38 weeks pregnant – posed her own health fears.

Speaking to Farming Life, Charlene said:  “Thankfully I made it to the scene in good time and was able to remain calm, despite seeing Nathan in pain and witnessing the extent of his injuries.

“I was also very mindful that I also had to think about our unborn baby too, so I tried everything I could think of to remain calm so that I didn’t go into labour. In the end, our baby boy Jace was born just two weeks later!”

Speaking about the accident, Nathan said: “Immediately after the attack, the adrenaline set in and I was able to walk across the farm and call for help before the pain kicked in and I started to fade.

“I’ve been told that very few people survive a bull attack like that, so I feel incredibly lucky that I was able to get free.

“I would like to use this opportunity to strongly remind members of the farming community to take care and to make sure that they take the necessary precautions when working on farm as things can change in a matter of seconds.”

Nathan recently visited the air ambulance base in Lisburn to meet the team who had helped him on the day, a team which included HEMS Dr Campbell Brown and HEMS Paramedic Emma Boylan.

“AANI requires £5,500 per day to keep this vital service going. You never know when it could be you, so I would encourage everyone to support the charity AANI in whatever way they can,” said Nathan.

You can help support the Air Ambulance here.

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