This is the situation local man Dyon Sutherland faced as he attended to his mate who had just been critically injured by a pet bull on Allandale Road, Young in October. 

At 4.30pm on Friday, October 21 Gerard Schiller, Dyon and two others were treating two Scottish Highland cattle at Gerard’s property when the bull – named Campbell – became irritated and began attacking the calf.

“I thought to myself then it was too dangerous and we should stop, and I must have said that three times and I didn’t act on it,” Gerard said.

After charging at Dyon the beast turned on Gerard, goring him twice in the upper thigh before flicking him over the 5ft fence. 

The femoral artery in Gerard’s leg was severed and if not treated within four minutes he would succumb to blood loss. In desperation Gerard tried to slow the bleeding by tying bailing twine around his leg, then frantically made his way to the house. 

Dyon found Gerard collapsed at the bottom of a set of stairs, blood oozing out of his shorts. On cutting off his shorts the trio were confronted with the wound.

“And there it was (the artery),” Dyon said.

 But what he did next ultimately saved Gerard’s life.

“I could see the blood literally pouring out, I guessed what it was and I just stuck my fingers in the gash and immediately it stopped bleeding,” Dyon said.

“I knelt, and I stayed there for 15 minutes before these gentlemen arrived; I couldn’t move, I was paralysed.”

After 15 minutes four paramedics arrived and worked on Gerard who by this time had lost a considerable amount of blood.

“The paramedics just fell into position and acted with the greatest of fluency,” Dyon said.

Gerard was transported to Young District Hospital before being airlifted to Canberra by the Rescue 21 helicopter from Orange. 

Gerard spent the next 10 days in hospital where he underwent two operations and received approximately 50 stitches. 

Now four weeks after the incident, Gerard has expressed the most heartfelt thanks to his mates, emergency services crew and medical staff who saved his life.

“They’re miracle workers,” he said. 

“An enormous thank you to all the medical crew at the Young hospital, to Rescue 21 from Orange and to everyone who was part of the stunning team who saved my life.” 

Inspector Pollard said seeing Gerard sitting in front of himself and his team this week was enough of a reward for them. 

“I was just very proud of my staff, one of them was my son,” Stephen said. 

Gerard said his accident comes down to a lack of judgement on his part and doesn’t lay any of the blame on Campbell who has since been euthanised. He said the entire incident could have been avoided if he used the correct equipment, and reminds farmers to always work in numbers.