Woman says she's 'lucky to be alive' after being attacked by herd of cows

A woman says she is "lucky to be alive" after she was headbutted and strangled by a herd of cows while walking her dog. Sharon Eley suffered multiple injuries, including a garish scar on her neck, after 20 cows lead by an agitated ‘ring leader’ tossed her to the ground twice and repeatedly headbutted her.

The five minute onslaught that took place in May left Sharon, 51, with 15 broken ribs, a punctured lung, a dislocated and shattered left ankle, a broken clavicle and severe bruising. During the attack, the strap on her leather bag got caught around her through and has left her a huge ligature mark commonly seen on hanging victims.

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The glamping business owner was saved when other walkers entered the field and managed to distract the cattle who charged towards them instead, but they escaped unharmed. After Sharon managed to drag herself to her feet for a third time she was involved in a stand-off between one remaining cow who eventually backed down.

Sharon, who feared she'd die at the hands of the angry herd, was forced to painfully crawl to the edge of the field and haul herself over a dry-stone wall to safety. A horrified pal managed to have a Mountain Rescue team sent out after ringing 999, who rushed her to hospital. There, Sharon underwent two surgeries on her ankle and a month later was finally allowed home. Sharon, who is still healing, is now urging walkers to be aware of their surroundings on walks so that if the worst should happen they can get help straight away. Sharon, from Blacko, Lancashire, said: "It was terrifying. I thought 'oh my god I'm actually going to die by a cow