Vigil held for traffic flagger killed in Duncan, B.C.
Maggie Feeley, 29, was hit by fully loaded dump truck
Hundreds of traffic flaggers gathered at a candlelit vigil Sunday night to remember a 29-year-old Vancouver Island woman killed on the job last week.
Maggie Feeley, 29, died on Wednesday, two days after being struck by a fully loaded dump truck at a Duncan construction site while directing a car out of a parking lot.
On Sunday night, trucks with flashing signs lined the streets around Surrey's Holland Park as flaggers arrived in neon road gear and reflective clothing.
Diane Herback with the BC Flagging Association hopes the vigil will raise public awareness and respect for flaggers.
"The public walking through, motorists walking through people that are pushing their babies.. the construction equipment, the construction crew. How can we make it easier to keep track of everybody while keeping ourselves safe?" said Herback.
Feeley is the third B.C. flagger to die on the job in the past five years — a fact that seriously concerns former B.C. traffic flagger Shannon Chin, who was injured on the job in June 2012.
Chin was the first person to light a candle at Feeley's vigil on Sunday and said she's upset Feeley lost out on the rest of her life when the incident was so preventable.
"It's scary — everyone needs to step up. Flaggers need to pay attention and dump truck drivers need to do walkarounds. They can't always see in their mirrors," said Chin.
Chin was hit by a dump truck when it backed over her in North Vancouver. She was dragged more than nine metres between the rear passenger tires.
She was crushed from just above the waist and after more than 10 surgeries, she still isn't able to work.
"Everyone just needs to slow down and pay attention. It's crew, it's public, it's everybody. We just need to raise awareness and have people come together and prevent this from happening again."
Proceeds from the vigil will go to Feeley's husband and three children.