Hughesville crash injuries kill man

Nov. 21 collision ends Waldorf resident's life

Friday, Dec. 18, 2009

A Waldorf man died in a hospital Dec. 6, succumbing to injuries he suffered several weeks earlier when his car crashed into a tree near Hughesville, according to police.

The single-car accident happened Nov. 21 at Woodville Road near Clayton Road after Lawrence David Canard, 38, lost control of his 1988 BMW, said Diane Richardson, Charles County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. Canard, who wasn't wearing a seat belt, was the car's only occupant at the time of the accident, the cause of which is still under investigation, Richardson said.

After the 2:27 a.m. crash, Canard was flown to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where he died several weeks later.

Canard, a graduate of La Plata High School, was a longtime resident of Charles County and worked for many years in construction. At the time of his death, he was employed with Warren Construction and helped rebuild homes that had been damaged by fire or flooding, said his fiancee, Elizabeth Drinks.

"He liked being able to see something so horrible and see the end product of being able to put people's lives back together," said Drinks, who met Canard about eight years ago.

In his spare time, Canard, called "Davey" by his friends, liked working on his car. But autos were only one of many hobbies for Canard, Drinks said. He also enjoyed four-wheeling, paint balling and riding BMX bikes.

Drinks said Canard made friends easily thanks to his outgoing personality and was close to his 16-year-old daughter and his brothers, sister, aunts and uncles.

"He was such a good person. He would give his last dollar to other people," Drinks said.

Drinks said the day of the accident, she spoke with Canard at about 1:30 a.m. Soon afterward, she heard about the crash from friends and drove to the site. When she arrived, Canard, who never regained consciousness during the weeks following the accident, was already in the ambulance, and police were working the scene.

"It's been pretty tough," said Drinks of the time since the crash. "A lot of days spent at the hospital."

brodgers@somdnews.com