A woman trampled by a steer in Hinakura has been flown to hospital in a critical condition.
Emergency services, including a rescue helicopter, responded to the incident on Friday afternoon.
The woman was critically injured at the intersection of Martins Rd and Hinekura Rd while trying to herd a loose steer into a nearby paddock.
She was subsequently flown to Wellington Hospital.
Police established that the animal fell off a cattle truck while it was transporting livestock between farms.
South Wairarapa resident Aidan Ellims was present at the scene and said there were two loose cattle, the first which he and other members of the public successfully managed to herd into a secure paddock.
There were numerous attempts to guide the remaining steer into the paddock, Ellims said, but “it didn’t want to move, and it was quite agitated” – its distress reportedly caused by an injured leg.
Ellims said he was also charged at by the animal and knocked to the ground but luckily came away with only a bit of bruising.
“It’s just an unfortunate accident involving people who are good Samaritans trying to do the right thing,” he said, but “due to the circumstances surrounding the injured animal, someone trying to help got injured”.
Vehicles were used to create a barrier between the aggravated steer and the injured woman but the animal was eventually euthanised by a local farmer.
Police said the injured woman remains in Wellington Hospital, in a serious but stable condition.
