Tribute paid following tragic death on west side

A SIXTY two year old woman has died following a tragic incident involving the handling of livestock on the west side of Shetland.

Patricia Wishart from Tumblin died as the result of injuries sustained when working with cows on her Bixter croft, and the incident was reported to police shortly after 5pm on Friday. 

It is understood she had been helping out with calving when one of the cows fell on her.

Shetland West ward councillor Theo Smith said he knew Patricia – who had worked with animals all of her life – and her husband Robbie reasonably well and the news had left him shocked.

“They’re a pair of very fine folk, and that’s just a real tragedy,” he said. “You really can’t think what the rest of the family must be going through, and my sympathies are with them.

“It just shows you how dangerous working with animals can be sometimes. You just take it for granted that nothing will happen and I just hope that some kind of lesson can be learned for people that do work with animals, but it’s just a tragedy and I really, really feel for the family.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said it had carried out a joint investigation with the health and safety executive and there were no suspicious circumstances.