Dawn Tyson loves animals but on Thursday, Aug. 20 as she was feeding a rescue horse named Hoko things went bad. Tyson had been trying to find another place for Hoko but had been unable to get the horse loaded and moved elsewhere. As she entered a stall, in her barn on the Quillayute Rd., to feed the horse, it entered behind her and rammed her pinning her against the wall.

Tyson’s daughter Tara Rigby shared that after the horse rammed her she fell to the stall floor and the horse then proceeded to kick her body and then stomp on her legs.

“She doesn’t remember how she got out of the stall but she had to crawl about 100 feet to get to her cellphone,” Rigby said.

Tyson called a family member who then called 9-1-1. “She was really lucky that ambulance crew member Bridgette Soha was visiting someone just down the street, she heard the call on her radio and got there before the ambulance did,” Rigby stated. “Also, two family members, EMT’s, Britni Duncan and Rich Winters came along on the call, I want to thank them for being on the call,” she added.

Once at the Forks Hospital, the weather was too overcast to get the Lifeflight helicopter in so Tyson was taken by ambulance to Port Angeles and airlifted from the PA Hospital to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to the ICU. Her injuries included all her ribs broken on her left side and seven broken on her right side.

After dealing with some unknown bleeding, and heart and blood pressure issues, she received two blood transfusions, she amazingly had no broken bones in her legs just severe pooling of blood from the bruising. It was initially thought her spleen had been torn but evidence of it could later not be found, Rigby shared.

Tyson returned home to Forks on Tuesday evening with the help of her twin sister Donna Venefra. Venefra is assisting Tyson at home and other family members and friends are coordinating meals and a GoFindMe has been set up as well.

Amanda Huling can be contacted via Facebook regarding meals and Rigby has set up a GoFundMe at https://gf.me/u/ys2msh.

Tyson could also use help feeding her animals and donations can be made directly for feed etc. at Rusty Gate, 221 Wood St., Forks.

Tyson’s recovery will be slow, Rigby said, and it will be a while before she can return to her job at Concerned Citizens in Forks, “any help would be greatly appreciated.”

Rigby shared on the GoFundMe page, “She has many, many rescue animals from horses, to dogs, and goats. If it is without a home she is there and never asks for anything in return. She will not be back to work for a long time and will need help with medical expenses and feed for the animals. Anything will help and prayers are much appreciated.”

Rigby resides in California and on Wednesday was leaving to make her way to Forks.