| Valley Traffic workers mourn the loss
April, 2008 - When the call came in that her friend and colleague had been killed in a workplace accident, IBEW member Vicki Boesterd was left speechless. And if anybody knows Vicki, that’s an almost impossible feat. Her co-worker, Terry Mitchell, had been killed while working as a flag person on a job in Fort Langley on that Monday morning in late February of this year. The shockwaves rippled through the workplace and extended out into the community, as Terry was not only well known but well liked by so many. To Vicki, and many others, it felt like she had lost a member of her own family. “Terry had this ability to make you smile on your worst day,” said Boesterd, an instructor with Valley Traffic and an IBEW member for the last nine years. She knew Terry since he came to work with Valley Traffic in 2000 and she helped recertify him to do the difficult work of a flag person. Valley Traffic worker Tina Perrault made the call to Vicki. She received a call from her co-worker, Brandi, who was working on the same job site as Terry when the accident happened. Tina recalled Terry’s dedication to his job and his co-workers when interviewed for Local 258’s member magazine, The Hotline. “We couldn’t believe what happened and are still in shock that it really could have happened to anyone who was on site that day. Terry did everything right – it was a tragic turn of events,” she said. An elderly Abbotsford man, who was driving without a valid license, was arrested in the death of 52 year old Mitchell, who leaves behind to mourn his wife Allison and family members, along with his co-workers and hundreds of members of his community. Tatjana Kelch, safety officer for Valley Traffic, is involved in the follow up investigation being done by the Workers Compensation Board and expects a report will be available sometime soon on this incident. “There is an ongoing police investigation along side our review, as is usual in an event of this type”, she said. Mitchell is the third flagger to be killed on the job since 2004, according to WCB. IBEW Assistant Business Manager Susan Longva said, “This event has hit these members very hard. Terry was well liked and was an excellent employee for Valley Traffic. More awareness is needed about the safety risk these workers face every day on the job as they try to protect not only motorists’ safety but the safety of the crews they work with on a daily basis. They consistently put themselves at risk but it seems some members of the public don’t always respect the work they do as these workers, many of them women, are subjected to insults, threats and driver frustrations as they try to do their work.” Mitchell’s co-workers have erected a temporary memorial at the site where he lost his life on February 25 at the corner of River Road and Mavis in Fort Langley and have plans to erect a permanent memorial on the site. Mitchell’s widow Allison will be attending the Day of Mourning services taking place at Burnaby City Hall this year on Monday, April 28. |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
Copyright © 2011. All Rights Reserved. Local 258, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, British Columbia, CANADA This website created and maintained by Leopard Print Communications. Member CEP 525-G.
| |
 | ||
 |  |  |
 | ||