Maine jogger, 43, attacked by escaped cow, tosses her in the air, bovine owner may now face charges following Farmington incident. Runner needed stitches.
A female runner in rural Maine was attacked by a cow that had escaped an enclosure while she was going for an afternoon jog on April 1. The incident led to the jogger needing stitches with the animal owner now faces potential charges.
The unnamed 43-year-old woman was getting ready to go for a run on the Whistle Stop Trail, a countryside rail trail that runs through central Maine, when the lurking cow sprung upon her.
The animal barreled into her, flinging her into the air with its horns, Farmington police said. The woman escaped by running to nearby trees for cover.
‘Officers met with the female, who reported that she had been charged by the male bovine as she prepared for a jog,’ according to a Facebook statement from police in Farmington, Maine.
‘She was lifted off the ground by the animals’ horns but was able to escape into the nearby tree line,’ the department said, according to WMTW 8.
Cows kill an average of 20 Americans per year
The woman was left with a cut that needed stitches, but she was not taken to the hospital, the network said.
Authorities contacted the owner of the cow — which had escaped from a local farm alongside a fugitive pig. The owner recaptured both animals.
Police forwarded details of the incident to the Franklin County district attorney for review.
‘The animal control officer will do an investigation and report and he will decide whether or not to charge the owner,’ a representative for the Farmington Police Department told McClatchy News.
Cows kill an average of 20 Americans per year, most of whom are farm workers, according to Heifer International, a nonprofit. Farmington is about 40 miles northwest of Augusta.
