Transgender academic was conscious after being gored through the neck in Highlands stag attack and waited 20 minutes as the nearest paramedics were 15 miles away Dr Kate Stone is critically ill in hospital and requires trachea operation She was on holiday in Scottish Highlights when stag charged at her in dark Shocked friends took her to garden shed and waited for paramedics Dr Stone taken to Fort William then flown to hospital in Glasgow A Cambridge academic gored through the neck by a giant stag was conscious and lay critically injured in a garden shed for 20 minutes while paramedics rushed 15 miles to get to her remote location, it emerged today. Kate Stone was on holiday in the Scottish Highlands when the beast charged into her from out of the darkness, and she now needs an operation to fully reconnect her windpipe. Friends watched in horror as the spooked red deer lowered its head and impaled her on its antlers in a 'one-in-a-million' accident on Monday. Critically injured: Dr Kate Stone was gored by a giant stag and lay conscious for 20 minute while she waited for medical help. She requires surgery to fully reconnect her trachea after the antlers went through her throat Chilling: These are believed to be the tracks of the stag left as it charged at Dr Stone out of the darkness and pierced her neck with its antlers They reportedly carried her into a shed for protection from the elements and believe she may have been targeted above her friends because she is very tall. Dr Stone was treated by paramedics at the scene in Lochailort who arrived from the fishing port of Mallaig, 15 miles away. She was then taken to Fort William's Belford hospital, and later transferred by air to the Southern General, in Glasgow. A statement released today said she is in a critical but stable condition, and 'doctors expect to operate in the next few days to repair damage to her trachea'. It continued: 'Her sister and friends are with her and have received messages of support from her many friends around the world. Our love and support goes to Kate and we wish her all the best for the speediest possible recovery. Dr Stone was standing with a group of friends outside a private residence in Lochailort when the incident happened. She had been on a short break in the Highlands, staying at the Mo-Dhachaidh B&B. Care: Dr Stone was treated by paramedics at the scene in in Lochailort, before being taken to Fort William's Belford hospital, and later transferred by air to the Southern General, in Glasgow (pictured) Idyllic: The countryside close to Fort William where Dr Stone and friends were celebrating the festive period before the terrible attack Dr Stone, 44, and a group of friends were on a three-day festive break and had been at a ceilidh on Sunday evening before being invited back to local musician Jim Hunterâ€™s home at Lochailort, near Fort William. The 44-year-old is a keen hiker and outdoor enthusiast The group were laughing and chatting, said Mr Hunter. â€˜We had been to the pub up the road and were coming back to my house through the gate', he went on. It was pitch black and we were using torches to navigate our way back and the big stag must have got trapped in the garden as we have deer fences around it. It must have panicked when it saw us and the only way out was through the gate that we were standing at. It just ran at us and went straight through us. â€˜Kate was at the back of the group and its antlers must have caught her in the neck. The stag then made for the hills. It was a completely freakish accident, Iâ€™ve never seen the like of it before. â€˜I think I know the one it is, itâ€™s been hanging around. Itâ€™s a three-year-old stag, around 150kg. These are big fellas, you donâ€™t mess with them, theyâ€™ll take your car out.â€™ The group initially thought Dr Stone had simply been knocked over but quickly realised that it was more serious. 'Serious but stable': Dr Kate Stone was gored in the neck by a stag in the early hours of Monday Dangerous: The animal's antlers pierced Dr Stone's throat, leaving her in critical condition (file picture) She was rushed to hospital in Fort William but then flown by air ambulance for specialist treatment at Glasgowâ€™s Southern General Hospital, where she is understood to be in intensive care. Dr Stone, who was born a man and has two children but changed gender in 2007, is a research engineer in the Institute of Manufacturing at Cambridge and has set up her own technology company, Novalia. She was part of a group of three men and four women visiting the area â€" hill walking and enjoying the scenery â€" and staying at the Mo-Dhachaidh Guest House. Holiday: The group had been at a ceilidh at the Lochailort Inn (pictured) before being invited to Mr Hunter's home where the attack occurred The group was approaching this gate when the stag seemingly panicked and charged Dr Stone who was the tallest in the group A young stag pictured crossing the road in Fort William where Dr Stone was staying with friends before the attack Owner Gary Burton, 51, said: â€˜No one here has heard of anything like this in their lifetime, it has shocked the community. â€˜Itâ€™s a cornered stag with no alternative exit route, it would have just been in a panic. It had nowhere else to go but through the group and unfortunately it seems Kate was in the way. â€˜The force of the attack and impact must have been ferocious. I went to the scene later and found Kateâ€™s mobile phone smashed into tiny bits. â€˜I understand the type of injury Kate has suffered can cause quadriplegia or paraplegia. She was telling me she enjoyed the outdoors in the hills and camping on her own in remote places, so any form of paralysis to such an active person will be a disaster.â€™ One local gamekeeper with more than 40 years of experience with Highland stags said he had never heard of such an incident. He added: â€˜For a stag to come out of the darkness like this and go for someone is highly unusual â€" a chance in a million.â€™ In November, a deer farmer died after being attacked by a stag. Kenneth Price, 75, was gored in Llandysul, Wales.