A $3,500 bull belonging to County Clerk John Hodges jumped a
fence Saturday and was hit by a Lexus, sending two Hollister
residents to the hospital and the bull to the great pasture in the
sky.
Hollister – A $3,500 bull belonging to County Clerk John Hodges jumped a fence Saturday and was hit by a Lexus, sending two Hollister residents to the hospital and the bull to the great pasture in the sky.
Bich Huynh, 25, was flown to Stanford Medical Center after suffering facial lacerations and brain hemorrhaging when her 2002 Lexus collided head-on with a 2,000-pound black Angus bull that was standing in the middle of Union Road near Union Heights around 11:20pm, said CHP Officer Matt Ramirez.
Hollister resident Kyle Martino, 24, was a passenger in the car and only suffered minor injuries but was also taken by CALSTAR to Stanford Medical Center to receive treatment, Ramirez said.
Huynh is still in the Intensive Care Unit at Stanford because doctors are worried about her brain swelling, he said.
“It sounds like everything is under control,” he said, “but it was a pretty nasty crash.”
Ramirez said the car was most likely traveling the speed limit – around 55mph – when it came upon the 2,000 pound bull in the road.
“Black cow, black night – they couldn’t see anything,” he said.
While the bull’s weight rivaled that of the approximately 3,500 pound Lexus, it didn’t make it and died at the scene, Ramirez said.
Hodges said he went to the accident scene around 12:30am Monday and put his registered Angus bull back where it belonged – in the field – until the body could be removed later that day.
“Dead bull, darn,” he said. “I just hope the people are going to be OK.”
Five-foot fences keep the animals off the road, but the CHP didn’t find any damaged or destroyed fences and concluded the bull had jumped over the barrier.
“Those things can jump. It doesn’t look like it, but they can move their weight around,” Ramirez said. “If those things want to get out, they can.”
Hodges said the fence on Union Road is one of the best fences he has and that he’s never had a problem with his cattle jumping them.
“I don’t know what would make him do that,” he said.
Ramirez said cows and bulls grazing along rural county roads hop fences more often than most people would think – especially if they spot some grass on the other side of the road that whets their appetite.
Anyone traveling on county roads, especially at night, should be aware that wood and wire don’t always keep animals where people want them to be.
“Cows will hurt your car and hurt you,” Ramirez said.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
