A woman in her 30s died in an industrial accident Thursday along Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.
Emergency crews responded to the scene at about 3:30 p.m., when an excavator working beside the road reportedly tipped or rolled over on to the woman.
It happened on the south side of Lougheed Highway at approximately 255th Street.
Peter Arkell, with the Kwantlen First Nation’s Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group, said they had a staff member on the ground who witnessed the incident. That person was monitoring the work that was being done for, or by, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, next to the highway.
The monitoring is done to ensure archeological resources aren’t damaged when work or construction is underway.
“If any development happens in a certain area, it triggers the need for archeological monitoring. Our employee was on site for that purpose,” Arkell said.
“Our employee wasn’t harmed in the incident physically. Obviously, you can understand it was a traumatic experience. He’s getting access to the help he needs to get through it.”
But Kwantlen had no other role in the work, he added.
Neither was the work taking place on the Kwantlen’s Indian Reserve No. 5, which is nearby.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure confirmed Monday, that the work was part of the Lougheed Highway improvement project involving the installation of concrete barriers in the middle of the road between 240th and 272nd streets.
Most of the barriers are in place but there remains a stretch without the blocks.
“Our hearts go out to those affected by this incident,” said ministry spokesperson Danielle Pope.
The industrial accident occurred during the site investigation work underway as part of the project.
She said that details regarding the accident can be provided by WorkSafeBC but that agency does not comment on on-going investigations.
Police say there is nothing suspicious in the incident and have passed the investigation over to WorkSafe B.C., which had two officers at the scene.
The B.C. Coroner’s Service is also investigating but will not comment.