An elderly man has been airlifted to hospital after he was trampled by a cow that had escaped from a nearby mart.
The animal bolted from Whitland Mart in Carmarthenshire at about 10am on Saturday 19 November.
Dyfed-Powys Police described the cow as “dangerously out of control” as it headed from the mart premises to the centre of the village.
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It arrived in the North Road area of Whitland where it attacked and trampled the elderly man who suffered serious injuries.
A police spokeswoman said that the man was transferred by air ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
Attempts to capture the animal failed, despite a concerted effort from people at the scene, and the cow headed on to a rail track.
Train services had to be stopped to mitigate the danger to those trying to capture the cow and to rail line users, the spokeswoman said.
“Eventually, the animal made its way to a field, where every effort was made to safely contain it in consultation with the owner,” the spokeswoman said.
“Unfortunately, this was not possible and due to the danger posed by the animal, it was humanely dispatched with the consent of the owner.”
Wales Air Ambulance (WAA) confirmed that a crew attended the incident, arriving on scene at 10.53am after a 15-minute flight.
“Following treatment from our onboard medics, we airlifted a patient to hospital. Our involvement concluded at 1.20pm,” the WAA said.
The Health and Safety Executive has been informed and a spokesperson said it was making initial enquiries.
Whitland Mart has declined to comment.
