Photo: Darren Handschuh

File photo of last Friday's accident scene in Lavington.

Flaggers throughout the Okanagan Valley are being urged to take part in a safety awareness rally next Saturday, following last week's accident where a female flagger was hit by a vehicle in a construction zone on Highway 6 in Lavington.

The woman, 66, remains in Kelowna General Hospital suffering from serious injuries, according to RCMP and a colleague. She was airlifted to KGH Friday after being hit.

“Enough is enough, we've had too many people hurt,” said Michelle Hudson, a flagger and one of the organizers of the event. “We need to get motorists to slow down and to start respecting us on the roadway.

“We're there for a reason, to keep everyone safe....We want to go home at the end of the day too."

Hudson said next weekend's rally is for all traffic control people no matter what company they work for.

“This is not about companies. It's about the flaggers and keeping them safe.”

Permission has been obtained from the Ministry of Transportation in order for the event to take place, at Highway 6 and School Road in Lavington, near where the woman was hurt last week. Flaggers are urged to arrive at 9 a.m. for a safety meeting, with the event getting underway at 10 a.m.

“We will not be stopping traffic. We will have our paddles on slow to support the TCP (traffic control person) who was injured on Friday.”