| A WATER board official was gored to death yesterday by a
bull that broke through a fence. Wilson Cowan, 56, was sampling water from
a mains in a street in Pettinain, Strathclyde, when an Ayrshire bull in
a nearby field grew agitated and began to bellow.
The animal charged through the wire fence and pinned him against his
van. It gored him in the head and body, and tossed him into the middle
of the lane. Road builders working near by tried to distract the bull by
throwing stones but by the time they reached Mr Cowan, an official with
the West of Scotland Water Board, he was dead.
Betty Russell, 60, who saw the incident, tried to administer first aid.
She said: "The bull had tossed the man about like a rag doll. I knelt
beside him to feel for a pulse but there was nothing. His chest was caved
in and there was massive bruising.
"The workmen were extremely brave. They risked their lives to get
the bull away from the injured man."
The animal was later captured and secured in a pen by its owner, William
Adamson, of Swaithes Farm. It will be put down. A family friend of Mr Adamson
said: "He is very shocked by this."
Chief Inspector David Chadwick of Strathclyde Police said: "I do
not think there was any suggestion that the man did anything to bring this
on himself. The bull is an animal and sometimes it acts like an animal."
The force confirmed that a report had been submitted to the Procurator
Fiscal.
Copyright 1998 Times Newspapers Ltd.
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