diff --git a/rai/blockstore.cpp b/rai/blockstore.cpp
index 89503710..2e2e6cf6 100644
--- a/rai/blockstore.cpp
+++ b/rai/blockstore.cpp
@@ -832,6 +832,11 @@ rai::block_counts rai::block_store::block_count (MDB_txn * transaction_a)
 	return result;
 }
 
+bool rai::block_store::root_exists (MDB_txn * transaction_a, rai::uint256_union const & root_a)
+{
+	return block_exists (transaction_a, root_a) || account_exists (transaction_a, root_a);
+}
+
 void rai::block_store::account_del (MDB_txn * transaction_a, rai::account const & account_a)
 {
 	auto status (mdb_del (transaction_a, accounts, rai::mdb_val (account_a), nullptr));
diff --git a/rai/blockstore.hpp b/rai/blockstore.hpp
index 627e2aab..4cba715e 100644
--- a/rai/blockstore.hpp
+++ b/rai/blockstore.hpp
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ public:
 	void block_del (MDB_txn *, rai::block_hash const &);
 	bool block_exists (MDB_txn *, rai::block_hash const &);
 	rai::block_counts block_count (MDB_txn *);
+	bool root_exists (MDB_txn *, rai::uint256_union const &);
 
 	void frontier_put (MDB_txn *, rai::block_hash const &, rai::account const &);
 	rai::account frontier_get (MDB_txn *, rai::block_hash const &);
diff --git a/rai/node/bootstrap.cpp b/rai/node/bootstrap.cpp
index 5b8b661f..0df614d1 100644
--- a/rai/node/bootstrap.cpp
+++ b/rai/node/bootstrap.cpp
@@ -885,7 +885,7 @@ void rai::bootstrap_attempt::process_fork (MDB_txn * transaction_a, std::shared_
 {
 	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock (mutex);
 	auto root (block_a->root ());
-	if (!node->store.block_exists (transaction_a, block_a->hash ()) && (node->store.block_exists (transaction_a, root) || node->store.account_exists (transaction_a, root)))
+	if (!node->store.block_exists (transaction_a, block_a->hash ()) && node->store.root_exists (transaction_a, block_a->root ()))
 	{
 		std::shared_ptr<rai::block> ledger_block (node->ledger.forked_block (transaction_a, *block_a));
 		if (ledger_block)