A Rancho Cordova cop has been killed in yet another motorcycle accident involving an older motorist. The accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the officer, Deputy Lawrence Canfield, was trying to overtake a suspected speeding driver on his motorcycle. According to officer.com, a car driven by a 79-year-old man took a turn right in front of the motorcycle, slamming against it, throwing Canfield off. The officer suffered severe injuries, and was helped by several passersby until medical help arrived. He died later at the hospital. Police are investigating the cause of the motorcycle accident, and whether traffic violations played any part. The accident occurred in a school zone, and both schools in the area were just closing for the day. It's clear that Deputy Canfield died in a heroic enactment of duty, trying to keep the streets free of speeding drivers. We extend our sincere sympathies to his wife and two young children. Canfield has been remembered by his peers as a jovial, fun-loving guy who will be sorely missed. Just yesterday we carried a story on our Orange County motorcycle accident lawyer blog involving Henry Eaton, the young man who was severely injured in a motorcycle accident that also included an elderly motorist. There too, the driver seems to have made a turn right in front of the motorcycle, throwing the rider off. There are several reasons why the elderly may be more prone to accidents as they get older, and defining a set driving policy for elderly drivers should be a priority. So far, there has been no indication that there were traffic violations in the Rancho Cordova accident, although it's too early to confirm. There also doesn't seem to have been any criminal intent on the part of the motorist. Fingers are also being pointed at the road in question. Apparently, there had been another similar accident in the area about three years ago, in which an officer on his motorcycle was thrown off his bike when a car slammed into him. He spent the next two months in the hospital, recovering from his injuries. That accident took place just about 50 feet from the site of the accident that killed Deputy Canfield on Wednesday. According to Sheriff John McGuiness, it might be prudent to conduct a complete safety investigation of the road to determine if there were construction and design flaws that could be causing an increase in fatal and near-fatal car accidents on that stretch. Besides the previous accident, there seem to have been many more pedestrian and motor vehicle accidents on that stretch of road. A study conducted by engineers would be able to pinpoint any flaw in the dangerous road that may have escaped the attention of the authorities until now. Any failings could be corrected, helping avoid more auto accidents in the area.
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