A NEW STUDY into the injuries to farmers caused by their animals has found that cows are by far the most frequent culprits.
Farming is the most dangerous occupation in the country. While farms accounts for just 5% of Irish workplaces, the sector accounts for almost half of workplace deaths.
Non-fatal farming injuries are also common and increased by 35% between 2006 and 2010. Of these injuries, 49% were serious enough to require farmers to be admitted to hospital.
The study in question was published in the Irish Medical Journal and looked at major farm animal related trauma treated at Cork University Hospital over five years.
During that period, the hospital noted that there were 54 patients admitted to hospital with such injuries. The animals involved in the injuries were recorded in 49 cases.
The most common animal involved in causing the injuries were cows (65%), followed by bulls (22%) and horses (3.7%).
Of the cases that were recorded, bovine animals accounted for over 95% of the injuries.
Irish research on cow-related trauma found that it is equivalent to other high-velocity trauma due to the severity of the injuries caused.
A two-year-old child and a man above 80 years of age were among those who presented to Cork University Hospital after being injured by a cow.
The child suffered a broken shinbone while the elderly man suffered bleeding in the brain when he was kicked by the cow.
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