The death of the woman who was struck and killed while conducting traffic control at a work site in the Hart earlier this week came as a shock to those who knew her, says her son, because of her meticulous approach to safety.
Linda Magnussen, 59, had been a flag person for Guardian Angels for at least 15 years and took her job seriously, son Derek Magnussen said Thursday.
She died at the scene after she was hit by a CN Rail truck on Austin Road West near Highway 97 North.
When the news first broke that a flagger had been killed, Magnussen said a friend commented that it couldn't have been his mother because she was a "safety Nazi," only to learn she was indeed the victim.
"When I told her, it was quite a shock actually," Derek said.
Linda Magnussen took an exacting approach to her job. "Everything had its place," Derek said. "Everything had to be in a certain place and that's where it was, there were no ifs, ands or buts about it. She did what she did to the letter."
Derek was her only son – she and his father split before he was born – and while she was born and raised in Prince George, they did not always live here. Just after Derek, now 35 years old, had finished Grade 2, they moved to Haida Gwaii after the Pepsi plant where she had worked had closed down and her mother had died.
For the next seven years, Linda Magnussen followed her passion operating fishing charters while taking on odd jobs – fueling jets, running the town garbage truck and working at the local gas stations – to make ends meet.
"The main thing that she loved to do in the summertime when it was feasible was to do fishing charters," Derek said. "She had her own boat and she'd take people out fishing and get them salmon and coho and halibut."
There were some brushes with celebrities, including professional hockey players and basketball players. And, one time, she ran into Tom Arnold, the ex-husband of Roseanne Barr, and made him laugh with one of her own jokes.
They moved back to Prince George so Derek could finish his high school at a "real school."
Derek described his mother as a "straight forward person" who did not suffer fools gladly but also had a good sense of humour.
She often came home with complaints about bad drivers, particularly ones who, for no apparent reason, would be confused by signs laying out simple directions. She also told the occasional tale of a driver speeding through construction zones.
Derek said an RCMP officer drew him a diagram of the scene and, from what he could see, "the truck that hit her had no business being where it was." He was told sun-glare played a role but added that's no excuse.
"I don't care what he says about sun-glare, if you're driving in a shaded spot and you're driving up to a sunny spot, you put your visor down if you're paying attention so you're not blinded and you can actually see," Derek said. "And even if there was sun-glare, that worksite was labeled – very well labeled – and as he was coming up to that worksite he would've seen my mom for a distance so he should've known there was somebody already there."
Derek said he was told the driver was going 25 to 30 km/h at the time.
His mother was working the site because a city crew was making improvements to water service to a neighbourhood in the Hart. The intention was to have the work completed and the site repaved by Thursday evening with the median to be replaced at a later date.
Linda Magnussen's emphasis on safety carried over to other areas. Her boat would be fully equipped and then some – she would carry extra life jackets. Trips out to pick mushrooms on Haida Gwaii meant taking along such items as a flare gun, whistles, safety blankets and extra food.
"For her, it was always safety," Derek said. "Always, always safety."
The RCMP remains the lead investigator into the incident.
