Lightning kills 45 head of cattle near Darby

DARBY — A bolt of lightning killed 45 head of cattle on a ranch near Darby.

Rancher Jean Taylor said the cows, calves and a prize bull were crowded under some small crabapple trees on July 14 when the lighting struck.

Taylor says the clap of thunder awakened her at 10:28 p.m.

Taylor says the family spent years building their herd of Black Angus cattle, and now they only have eight to 10 cows left.

Two days earlier, lightning struck a power pole at the Darby rodeo grounds during a rainstorm, sending a shock through the grandstands, rodeo chutes and bull pens. A bull rider and two spectators were taken to the hospital. Bull-O-Rama Chairman Carl Ruark says all three were alert when they were loaded into ambulances.