'She kicked the gate, which then hit me in the forehead'

Name and background: Elizabeth Ormiston, Mullagh, Co Cavan. I am presently chairperson of Cavan IFA. I’m also chair of our local branch in Mullagh.

Family: I was married to Philip, who passed away at 45 after a long illness. We have five children (Peter, PJ, Rosemarie, Eleanor and Ruth) and four grandchildren, Aaron, Maya, Aoife and Philip.

Farm type: We used to milk British Frisian cows here – we kept all the calves and also bought and reared calves. In July 2003, after a serious TB outbreak the previous autumn, I made the decision to change to a suckler herd and I purchased 30 pedigree and commercial in-calf Simmental heifers.

“I had a cancer scare in 2017 and the sucklers were sold, so it’s now a drystock farm. Negotiations are ongoing at the minute about reverting to a suckler farm, with native Irish breeds.

Family involved in farming: My son, PJ, farms here with me.

What happened on the day of your accident?

My accident happened on 5 July 2009, at about 9am on a beautiful sunny morning. We were loading a pedigree heifer to take to Bailieboro Show at Killinkere Leisure Centre. The haltered heifer was led up on the trailer. The side passenger door of the trailer was opened and the dog appeared as I was closing the gates of the trailer behind the heifer, possibly making her nervous. She kicked the gate, which then hit me in the forehead, causing me to fall back on the cement yard.

There was a lot of blood. My friend Joe, who was with me, ran up the yard shouting for my son, Peter, who lived next door. They both carried me up to the back door of the house and put me sitting on a chair. Peter brought out towels and I remember him taking off my wellies.

I was told afterwards that I got off the chair and picked up a wellie in each hand and walked down the yard. I got into the jeep believing I was going to the show. I did not realise the trailer was no longer attached. I don’t ever remember getting to the hospital – apparently, I stopped talking on the way and collapsed shortly after getting there.

My condition deteriorated the following day and the doctors suggested Rosemarie should be told to come to see Mammy

My oldest daughter, Rosemarie, had just qualified as a primary school teacher and had left early that morning to go to the Gaeltacht in Galway. While the other children, my mother and siblings gathered at the hospital, it was decided not to tell Rosemarie. My sister nursed in Cavan and was on duty that night.

I was anointed and placed in an induced coma. My sons, PJ and Joe, stayed the night.

My condition deteriorated the following day and the doctors suggested Rosemarie should be told to come to see Mammy. I was taken out of the induced coma after six days – they tried taking me off mid-week but it was not a success. I remember coming round and trying to speak, but I could only whisper because of the tubes down my throat. The next memory I have is waking up in a private room, with no recollection of being moved there.

I was told what had happened and that I was very lucky to have survived, that there had been one day during the previous week where they had not expected me to pull through.

I don’t remember much more, except I was weak and slept a lot and was only allowed one visitor at a time for a very short period.

What was the recuperation period?

I was lucky in that it was summer and the girls were off school, and they minded me well. They brought me to Cavan twice a week for physio. Slowly, but surely, I got back to my feet. I had lost a lot of weight and looked gaunt. I had to buy a pair of size four shoes – my size six shoes were far too big. My sense of smell was gone and my taste was not great.

Funnily enough, I developed a taste for fish, which for the first 48 years of my life, I could not tolerate. My consultant suggested my craving for fish was my brain’s way of trying to repair itself.

My sense of smell is an awful loss still. My gas cooker was replaced by electric in case I leave gas on and don’t smell it, but one’s sense of smell evokes one’s childhood memories, such as the nice smell of freshly mown hay, Mammy’s lovely stew on a cold winter’s day or her freshly baked bread and treats. I miss those things. I used to wake up screaming from dreadful nightmares, and still do, but only occasionally.

I cooked the same Christmas dinner as I had done the previous year and thanked God to be alive

Another side effect is the lack of power in my right hand – sometimes it appears if the battery goes dead and I have to rest it. There is a section on the back of my head that I can’t touch or it lifts me out of it – even my hairdresser knows it.

I gradually improved over the rest of 2009. I cooked the same Christmas dinner as I had done the previous year and thanked God to be alive.

Would you have been safety-conscious before your accident?

Yes, especially with the children. My son, Peter, had an accident when he was very young, so I was always watching out for them especially.

Do you have advice for handling/loading animals?

Be on the lookout for stock developing aggressive tendencies and relieve them of their duties on your farm.

Don’t consider the mart for such animals, as that could inflict hardship or even tragedy on a fellow farmer.

Use proper handling facilities, particularly a good cattle crush, have a proper calving gate, ensure that all yard and field gates have secure latches and close properly.

Train your stock to follow a bucket and minimise strangers around them.

Make sure that there are no pets around before you start the job of loading cattle.

Also, don’t overload animals. I have been known not to allow an extra heifer to be loaded on to the trailer behind the jeep. Use a tractor for a bigger load.

How do you approach farm safety now?

I am certainly more aware. I have first aid and fire extinguishers dotted around the yard. I have a coded lock for the gate dividing the dwelling from the farmyard, to keep the grandchildren safe.

I have a child-friendly poster stuck on the inside of the back door at child level.

We have a lot of machinery here and do most of our own work. I am always on guard in a sort of supervisory capacity.

All machinery is well-maintained and serviced when necessary, to ensure that it’s ready for next venture, because when one is running behind or catching up on lost time, that concentration is lost.

I ensure that the yard is clean at all times, so there are no slippery surfaces. I always use proper gear when spraying.

Do you have a message for farmers?

Stop and think, pay attention to detail, and try to plan your day’s work ahead. In theory, I know that sounds great, but I also understand from a practical point of view that it’s not simple.

Unforeseen circumstances are a fact of life on farms, given the nature of our business. It is generally the simple things in life that trip you up – for me, it would have taken 10 seconds to put the dog in the shed. I just never thought of it.

If I had, it’s likely my accident wouldn’t have happened. Have a safe system of working with all the necessary precautions in place.

Finally, I would say stay safe by concentrating on the job at hand.