Image Credit: FACEBOOK/B.C.Flagging Association
November 20, 2017 - 2:33 PM
VERNON - A flagger who was hit by a car in the North Okanagan and suffered serious injuries last Friday is still in hospital, according to police.
RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Annie Linteau confirmed Monday afternoon, Nov. 20, the victim remains in hospital. She did not provide any specific updates on the person’s condition.
The 66-year-old flagger was hit in a highway construction zone in Lavington when a 75-year-old driver failed to stop in time. Police said on Friday, Nov. 17, the driver was cooperating with the investigation.
The investigation remains ongoing, Linteau said Monday.
The incident has prompted the British Columbia Flagging Association to speak out about safety in the profession.
“With yet another roadside worker hit last Friday outside of Vernon, the fundamental question that remains to be answered is why,” states a release from the association’s executive director Curtis Williams. “As an industry, the men and women directing traffic on the road are expected to be the first line of defense for crews completing work. Defense that you would think includes multiple levels of safeguarding to ensure everyone’s safety. You would think.”
He says there are “fundamental systematic flaws” in B.C. that are “putting people at risk who are trying to make an honest living.”
“Our workers are not being trained appropriately and the lack of checks and balances in place have left the industry virtually unregulated,” Williams says.
He says it’s a major problem and needs to be addressed by provincial stakeholders.
“When someone can go through a high level two-day course spending less than 30 minutes actively controlling traffic, and be certified to stand out on the highway, it’s really no surprise that people are getting hurt."
Last August, a female flagger spoke out after she was assaulted by a driver in Vernon.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017