Widow of Arizona motorcyclist who hit cow sues county over downed fence

By Jim Greene

Published on January 03, 2006

Roy David Yarborough was killed on the night of June 16, 2005 near Nogales when he struck a black cow that the suit claims was able to walk several miles south from a pasture near Rio Rico, cross a large wash, and wander onto the highway Yarborough was traveling.

According to the suit, filed by Angelica Yarborough, Santa Cruz County is responsible for maintaining a fence that would have prevented the cow from crossing the highway. The suit accuses the county of negligence, claiming that officials were aware that animals were accessing the highway because the fence was down and were also aware that the situation was causing a traffic hazard..

The suit asks for monetary damages "sufficient to fully and fairly compensate" Yarborough and her two children, but no amount is specified.

County officials say they have turned the claim over to the attorneys with the county's insurance company, who will conduct their own investigation.

After the accident, local cattle rancher Ramon Acevedo, a former Nogales police chief and a current state livestock officer, said that he and a fellow rancher have been trying for more than a year to get the county to repair the fence.

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