The sister of a Colby woman who was seriously injured in an attack by cows, has described the terrifying ordeal.

The 52 year-old was jostled and pushed over by the animals as she walked her dogs along a public footpath in a field near the village.

She was rescued several hours later, when a passer-by raised the alarm.

The woman spent five days in the intensive care unit at Noble's Hospital with a punctured lung, broken ribs and severe bruising. She is now out of danger and has been moved to a normal ward.

Her sister Judith Walker says the cattle, who were guarding their calves, became very aggressive.

She told Manx Radio:

"My sister, fortunately, was brought up with animals, so we know what to do and how to respect them.

"She just lay very still and didn't shout or fight back or anything, and I think maybe that helped a little bit.

"Eventually they stopped, so she just lay really, really quiety and still and didn't move, and the cows were all sniffing round her which must have been frightening.

"She said 'I kept my eyes shut' and afterwards I spoke to her and she did say she thought she was going to die.

"It must have been frightening, but she said she wasn't frightened, she just thought 'this is it, this is where I'm going to die'."