A WOMAN had to be air lifted to hospital with serious injuries after she was attacked by cows in a "horrific" incident in North Yorkshire.

Janicke Tvedt, 55, was walking her Labrador called Goose when she was attacked and trampled by cows in the Masham area.

She was out walking with her partner David to take her mind off her impending cancer surgery, which was scheduled for a few days later.

Speaking on the incident, Janicke said: "As soon as we entered the field, I could see that there were cows up ahead. So, I grabbed the dog and put him on a lead.

"We initially thought we had managed to walk around the herd, but then realised there was another cow on the other side of the hedge with a calf which got spooked by the dog. We were a bit shaken and scared so we regrouped and carried on walking, but the next thing we knew, half of the herd had come back after us.

"I got headbutted in the knees as a cow went for the dog and I was knocked to the floor. As I was lying on the ground and another cow raised his front half up and stamp down his front hooves on me at least four times.”

Cattle can weigh more than a tonne and over the last few years, several people have died in North Yorkshire due to dangerous cow encounters.

Janicke continued: “After that, one of the cows rolled on top of me and then everything went quiet. I was lying there, and my partner came back and helped me. He helped me over to a nearby tree as the cows had blocked the exit.

"Cows surrounded us near the tree. I knew something serious was wrong. I was telling my partner where to find my will and what my wishes were, then luckily the cows left.”

Having lost their phones in the attack, her partner ran to nearby Masham Golf Club and managed to get one of the golfers to phone the emergency services.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched and after an on-scene assessment, she was flown to Leeds General Infirmary for further treatment.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Janicke had broken several ribs and damaged part of her bowel. Janicke had surgery where she had a colon resection and a colostomy bag fitted. Unfortunately, this delayed her cancer treatment.

The cow attack has left lasting physical and emotional harm to Janicke, but she is rebuilding her confidence on walks and has since had the colostomy bag retracted. As part of her rehabilitation, she is walking 1,000 miles to raise funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Janicke’s incident will be shown on the Yorkshire Air Ambulance reality television show 'Helicopter ER' today (September 20) at 9pm.