Complaint after attack

German hiker: “Cow was like a wild bull!”

There are frequent encounters between holidaymakers and cows in the Tyrolean mountains, which unfortunately often result in serious injuries (symbolic photo).(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

The battle for compensation after a brutal cow attack in the Tyrolean Stubai Valley is starting all over again for a 66-year-old German woman. But shortly before the trial, the expert witness called in sick.

"Respect, yes, but I certainly wasn't afraid when I walked past the cows at a distance of four or five meters. The animals had already almost left the hiking trail and had turned off into the forest," Petra M. told the court in Innsbruck, not for the first time.

Case returned to the court of first instance after appeal
The now 66-year-old German woman was trampled by a "raging" cow on the path from Maria Waldrast Monastery to the Ochsenalm in Mieders on June 20, 2022, as reported several times. "She threw herself at me from behind like a wild bull and repeatedly hit my head with her skull. If my husband hadn't intervened, I wouldn't have been alive," the hiker is convinced. The German woman was flown to the hospital in Innsbruck with severe bruises and contusions.

Petra M. was seriously injured.(Bild: Familie M.)

After the public prosecutor's office dropped the investigation, much to Petra M.'s dismay, and her claim for damages, which was primarily aimed at the expensive helicopter rescue, was also dismissed, the plaintiff and the defendant now faced each other again in court. The judgment was overturned and the case was referred back to the court of first instance.

I grew up with cows.

Petra M. vor Gericht

Now the new judge wanted to know from the 66-year-old why she was so sure that she had been attacked by a mother cow. "My grandmother had a cattle farm. I grew up with cows," replied the German. There were also several young animals. According to the representative of the defendant community, suckler cows would actually be in a completely different area. "At least that's what shepherds told me."

Hearing had to be adjourned
As the expert witness, who had to improve his report, did not appear due to illness, the hearing was adjourned. Until then, Petra M. continues to hope. "Above all, that something will finally be done and no one will be harmed."