Tipperary family's air ambulance funding appeal after son's life saved following bull attack

A Tipperary family has joined an appeal for the community to support the Irish Community Air Ambulance service after their son had to be airlifted to hospital following a serious accident.

Paul Ormond, 41, was milking on the family farm outside Clonmel this July 6 when a Friesian bull went into the yard with the cows without him knowing.

Paul has no recollection of what happened but it’s believed the bull went for him as he went to bring in a line of cows.

He suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital by the Irish Community Air Ambulance. He spent several weeks in hospital and is now recovering at home.

“His dead weight was 460kgs which meant that his live weight was over 900kgs. He was a huge bull, Paul was lucky he wasn’t killed,” said his mother Deirdre.

She said they didn’t know how Paul escaped but he got over a gate in the yard.

He had his mobile phone and rang his brother Edward who was working from home just a field away.

He was able to tell his brother that the bull had attacked him. Edward ran to the yard and had to search for Paul

He contacted emergency services and was able to get the bull out of the yard before they arrived.

Deirdre said the ambulance and rapid response arrived within 10 to 12 minutes.

“We are eternally grateful to the emergency services,” she said. The helicopter was here within 20 minutes, it’s unbelievable.”

The local paramedics told Deirdre that the helicopter would be in Cork with a team ready to work on Paul before they would be back in Clonmel.

Paul suffered extensive injuries including crushed ribs, a punctured lung and the bones in his face were shattered.

Urging local communities to get behind the air ambulance service, Deirdre said: “I am surprised that the Air Ambulance has to be funded by donations. Every single rural organisation should be funding that helicopter service. The Air Ambulance is absolutely needed, it’s vital. If Paul had to go by ambulance, what length of time would it have taken to get to Cork?”

The organisation is Ireland’s first and only charity-funded HEMS Air Am. Each mission costs an average of €3,500, all of which has to be raised or donated.

The charity-funded HEMS Air Ambulance service is appealing to schools and businesses to wear Red or Yellow this Friday, September 10th, or any day during September and to donate to their cause.

For more information about the service, or to make a donation directly to the Irish Community Air Ambulance visit https://communityairambulance. ie. You can also donate €4 by texting FLIGHT to 50300.