“It wasn’t even his fault.”

Every July 16, Elizabeth Stewart takes flowers to the grave of her daughter Terri-Lynn. “That was the day she was killed.” In summer 1993, Terri-Lynn was hit by a van while working as a flagger on road construction sites. When told what happened, says Elizabeth, “I was in a total state of shock. I couldn’t cry until the next morning. Since then, I haven’t stopped.”

When Terri-Lynn Stewart started her summer job as a road construction flagger, her employer assigned her to sites in Moncton. When the employer moved her to a construction site on the Trans-Canada highway, her mother Elizabeth felt the spot was too dangerous. “Don’t worry about that,” Terri-Lynn said. “Only the good die young. You and I have a long time yet.”

“The thing is,” says Elizabeth, “we didn’t.”

Terri was struck and killed by a stopped van that had been rear-ended by another driver. The van’s driver was a neighbour one street over from the Stewarts. “He’s never been the same,” says Elizabeth, “and it wasn’t even his fault.”

Inconsolable at first, Elizabeth eventually found solace and support through Threads of Life. We help families of workplace tragedy along their journey of healing by providing unique family support programs and services, such as one-on-one peer support, regional Family Forums, a Speakers Bureau, and Steps for Life community walks that take place across the country.

Read about Elizabeth and Terri-Lynn in Forget Me Not, a Threads of Life book of family stories available at www.threadsoflife.ca/forget-me-not.

You can help families like Elizabeth’s, coping with the devastating impact of a traumatic workplace fatality or other workplace tragedy. Here’s how:

Donate: your gift will directly support Canadian families affected by workplace fatalities, life-altering injuries and occupational disease
Designate: make Threads of Life your company’s Charity of Choice
Volunteer: help out with our annual Steps for Life walk – see www.stepsforlife.ca
Spread the word: let those who need help know where to find it.

If you or a loved one have experienced a traumatic workplace fatality or other workplace tragedy, read about how Threads of Life can help you.