An off-duty San Mateo County sheriff's deputy killed in a motorcycle accident last week was laid to rest Wednesday (Feb. 6) following a funeral Mass in Millbrae.

Longtime Peninsula resident Erik Mertl, 51, was riding a motorcycle through the intersection of El Camino Real and Bellevue Avenue when his bike collided with a car at about 12:15 p.m., according to Burlingame police Capt. Mike Matteucci. Deputy Mertl was taken to Stanford Hospital, where he later died.

The driver of the car, a 64-year-old San Carlos woman, was not injured in the crash. She was not arrested or cited.

Mr. Mertl was a lifetime county resident who graduated from Burlingame High School in 1978 and began his law enforcement career as a Millbrae police explorer/cadet, according to his obituary. He later became a traffic and canine police officer with the Millbrae Police Department and in 2005 he took his years of experience to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

Mr. Mertl leaves behind his wife, Susan Bowie, and son Kyle Mertl. A funeral Mass was held Feb. 6 at Saint Dunstan in Millbrae.

— Bay City News Service

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