From Kim Minugh:
The day after a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy died in a traffic accident on Coloma Road - and area residents began decrying it as an example of the street's dangerous nature - Rancho Cordova officials said the road does not stand out as one of the city's most dangerous.
The number of accidents on the stretch of Coloma Road where Deputy Larry Canfield's motorcycle collided with another vehicle has decreased 40 percent in the last four years as a result of traffic enforcement and education efforts, said Public Works Director Cyrus Abhar.
And while the road is a congested one - 21,000 vehicles travel it daily - its accident rate is consistent with that of comparable streets city- and countywide, Abhar said.
"Coloma Road really has no engineering problems. There are no obstructions, no safety hazards, no sharp turns," he said. "It's a straight, flat section of the road - and the accident occurred on a clear, sunny day."
Canfield's fatal accident was a tragedy that likely had nothing to do with the road itself, Abhar said.
"It was just a very unfortunate circumstance," he said.
Canfield, a 13-year veteran of the sheriff's department and son of a retired sheriff's sergeant, died Wednesday at Mercy San Juan Medical Center shortly after the 2 p.m. accident. He was 43 and leaves behind a wife and two young sons.
Mark Kopang, who runs a Web site for motorcycle police officers, has posted a photo gallery of Canfield participating in various events, including motorcycle events. His photos can be seen here.
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