A DOG walker is fighting for her life after being trampled by a cow which broke through a fence onto a rural lane.

Suffering numerous serious injuries, Lianne Hutchinson crawled about 500 yards to the nearest farm as she was unable to walk following the incident as she walked her dog in the Ketton area of Darlington, near Brafferton.

On seeing Ms Hutchinson, a farmer called for an ambulance and paramedics found she had suffered a collapsed lung and multiple fractured ribs, as well as numerous cuts to her body and face.

The 43-year-old mother was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital, where she was placed in resuscitation.

The Great North Air Ambulance was called to take her to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, but it was stood down and it was decided she should be transported by road to Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Brad Hutchinson, her son, said his mother had been walking along a public footpath, which runs past Ketton Hall Kennels, when the incident happened at about 1.30pm on Thursday.

He said the cow had forced its way through a fence, knocking Ms Hutchinson to the ground and stamping on her, before becoming distracted by the dog, which it chased, giving Ms Hutchinson sufficient time to get to safety through a nearby gate.

Mr Hutchinson said: “The walkway is the one that everyone uses when they walk their dogs.

“I have used it for the last four years and I have never had any trouble with the cows in the fields.

“She (Ms Hutchinson) is currently in hospital and is going to remain there for the days to come.”

A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service said: “We were called to the Brafferton area at 1.35pm yesterday to reports of a woman injured by a cow.

“We dispatched a double crewed ambulance and also requested support from Great North Air Ambulance, who were later stood down by the ambulance crew on scene.

“We transported the patient to Darlington Memorial Hospital.”

The National Farmers’ Union says injury incidents involving cattle are more common than many realise.

Last year, mother-of-three Marian Clode died after being "flipped like a ragdoll" over a fence by cattle in Northumberland.

Two months earlier, a farmer in his fifties suffered head, back, neck and chest injuries after being kicked in the head by a cow in Cockfield, near Bishop Auckland.

Two years ago, a 55-year-old man suffered serious injuries in Redmire, near Leyburn, after being trampled on by cows. It was also believed he was walking a dog at the time of the attack.

In 2010, a farmer from Old Byland, near Helmsley, suffered serious injuries after being trampled by a cow, and a year earlier a vet died after cattle became aggressive as she was walking her dog along the Pennine Way near Gayle, in the Yorkshire Dales.

The NFU advises all dogs should be kept close, under control, in sight and on a short lead around cows and sheep.

Advice from the union also includes: “Don’t panic or run if cattle follow you – stay calm and walk quickly and quietly around the herd.

“If you are threatened by cattle release your dog so you can both get to safety separately.”