A flagger on a construction site was struck by a motorist in at 11:30 a.m. on June 28 in Burnaby, British Columbia. The motorist then fled the scene without stopping.
The incident occurred on 10th Ave. near Kingsway and was caught on video by a bystander.
According to a Burnaby RCMP news release, upon arrival police found that one flagger had received serious injuries and a second flagger had been struck a little further along the construction zone. The second flagger suffered only minor injuries.
Police also received a complaint after arrival of a woman assaulting two children on a nearby street. It was discovered that the female assault suspect was also the driver of the vehicle from the hit and run at the construction zone, and the suspect driver was identified, apprehended and is now in police custody.
The first flagger to be hit is currently in hospital and is suffering from a head injury with a concussion and bruising. The RCMP is continuing the investigation and criminal and/or Motor Vehicle Act charges are under consideration.
"My first reaction was my hair stood up right away," said Tammy Sampson of the B.C. Flaggers Association. "I think the big question is ‘why.’ Why did this happen?"
She explained that in her opinion the flagger who shown getting struck and run over in the video was wearing proper safety and high visibility gear and was doing her job correctly.
Sampson said that while the flagging community is upset by the incident and they want justice, she understands that the RCMP needs time to investigate and figure out what happened.
"There are a lot of tears and a lot of questions," she said. "People don’t know how someone could completely disregard the directions of a flagger."
Sampson noted that the association is contemplating its response and intends to use the incident as an opportunity to remind drivers of the dangers flaggers can face. She said the association is considering designing signage to display at job sites.
However she didn’t want to demonize motorists.
"There are far more good drivers than bad," Sampson said.
Burnaby RCMP asks anyone who witnessed the incident or who has further information to assist the investigation to contact them at 604-294-7922, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.solvecrime.ca.
We have embedded the video below but caution that it contains material that may be disturbing to some viewers.
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