It was a dry evening in October 2018, when David Callan lay picturing his own funeral after a bull attack on his farm in Drumconrath, Co. Meath.
On October 15, that year, suffering from many injuries, he lay in his field from just before 9:00p.m until around 1:00a.m, when he was eventually taken to the emergency department.
He was treated there for: A broken wrist; a broken collarbone; broken nerves on his right arm; his left arm, which had been pulled out of it’s socket, damaging the cuff in the process; a fractured spine; and four broken ligaments in his right knee.
“I was in no pain at all because I was in such a shocked state,” David said.
He is still suffering the effects to this day. David has very limited movement in his arms. His right arm “won’t go up or out”. His left arm still has two bones rubbing together.
In November 2022 he had an operation to insert a cushion between the two bones, so that he could lift it higher. He also still has issues with his back if he works for too long.
Despite some life-changing injuries, David counts himself “lucky”.
“I wouldn’t like to be in the same field as a bull, but I’ve never had a nightmare or a bother psychologically, because I just kept talking about it.
“I won’t ever be back as good as I was but I’m not too far away from it,” David said.
Through telling his story, David said he has changed people’s way of thinking, and made them more aware of bull safety. He wants to continue doing this.
He tells his story as a “warning” for others.
The attack
David had driven to some of his land nearby. He was picking up some hay from that field to bring back with him.
He had two bulls at the time, and decided to give a bale to each.
On coming out of the second shed, he could see the bull staring at him from across the wire. The exact whereabouts of the incident is pictured below.
At around that time of the year, David said the bull had “done all his work”, so he wondered did he want to go into the shed.
He threw a few nuts on the ground outside the shed, and a few more in a half barrel inside. He then opened the wire for the bull.
David stood near the cattle crush. He said there were about 15ft from him and the bull.
He bent down to pick something up and before he knew it, the bull lifted him into the air and “rammed” him into the gate.
The bull continued his attack, sliding David along the gate.
“When I got to the end [of the gate], I stopped sliding. The bull then got all the power behind his head and gave me a terrible shove.
“I actually heard my bones breaking.
“I remember thinking: That’s my back gone. I’ll never walk again,” David said.
The bull threw David on to the ground, and continuously pressed down on his chest, until “there wasn’t an ounce of wind left”.
After a while, David “played dead”, and eventually he seen the bull walk away, and towards the open gate on to the road.
David tried to get up to leave as soon as he got the chance, but realised he actually could not move.
He clearly had damaged both arms and his spine. He said there was no way he would be able to stand up alone.
He could hear his phone ringing in his pocket and made “savage” attempts to answer it, but couldn’t get his arms to work.
He was shouting for help at first. “I was plastered in muck and thinking I’m gone. I won’t survive this,” he said.
The farmer said he was thinking of all the people attending his wake and thinking about his own death. Then his mind wandered to the whereabouts of the bull, who was still loose and wandering the roads.
He was conscious of somebody hopping out of their car to put the bull back into the field and ending up in danger themselves.
He was thinking about his child at home. His newborn baby was only three weeks old.
The sun was going around the shed at this point and began shining on his back, which kept him warm.
Eventually, he heard two of his neighbours. He could hear them rounding up some of his cows which had also gotten out the empty gate.
They rang an ambulance for David straight away. They also helped to call local farmers, who brought the loose bull to safety.
In the meantime, the local priest arrived and gave “the last rites”.
David finally made his way to the emergency department at around 1:00a.m.
Recovery
David spent three weeks in the hospital and a further three weeks in a respite home.
After ten days in hospital, his baby Grace came to visit. She was brought into the hospital cafe and placed on his lap. His arms were not mobile to hold her and he said it broke his heart.
David spent the rest of his recovery at home, where his wife helped him through everything.
There was that many people calling to the house to help, that his wife didn’t even know who some of them were.
Since the incident, David joined the organisation Embrace FARM, which was set up as a support network for farm families who lost a loved one or continue to suffer from injuries.
He said it allows people in the same position to connect.
David said he was back farming with much help the following February or March.
“It’s not like I’m a hero, I was just lucky,” he said.