Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer James Cavanaugh was struck and killed by a dump truck while directing traffic on Westport- Easton Road south of Sturges Highway in Fairfield at 9:30 am. The dump truck was backing up when it hit Officer Cavanaugh. He was transported to Norwalk Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries upon arrival. He was survived by his wife, one son, five daughters, and 12 grandchildren. His son also served with the Fairfield Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, one son, five daughters, and 12 grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CT-5C6317C6- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Cavanaugh served with the Fairfield Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Fairfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Cavanaugh.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer James Cavanaugh is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CT, 73 of 169 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 43.2% of this state's fallen. That is 12.2 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Cavanaugh's cause is highlighted.
How James Cavanaugh Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Cavanaugh is highlighted in Apr.