Cyclist recovering from goose attack
Posted Jun 25, 2014 05:17:17 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA — An Ottawa cyclist is recovering from a concussion and other injuries after a goose attacked her along a bike trail in Stittsville.
Kerry Surman, a professor at Algonquin College, was biking along the trail on June 10, not too far from her home in a Stittsville neighbourhood when she rolled up on a family of geese crossing the path.
After a few goslings and geese passed, Surman thought she had time to move through the path before the one final adult goose advanced.
Instead, the goose turned towards her, and made a sudden attack from behind.
“The last thing I remember was hearing myself scream and it was black because the wings were wrapping around me,” said Surman.
“I was unconscious for a period of time, and spent five days in Carleton Place Hospital and the Civic,” Surman said.
She suffered a concussion from being knocked to the ground, a fracture to her cheekbone, and several cuts to her face.
She is doing well now, but says it’s worth being aware of the potential danger of geese if you get too close.
“I would caution people to give geese perhaps a little more distance than I did and recognize that they may be more aggressive than they first appear,” Surman said.
Surman also credited wearing her helmet to saving her from a more serious head injury.
