“A life loved. A life lost.”
That’s the message drivers see when passing through Queen Street in Truro, N.S., next to where Tina Clyke, 54, was struck by a snowplow Monday morning before being pronounced dead in a nearby hospital.
Up the road, her family is still processing the loss.
“It was just tragic to hear that news first thing in the morning about somebody that you loved and cared about so much,” said her brother, Gordie Clyke.
“Tina was my sister. She was an aunt, she was a cousin, she was a friend to all. She was so much to everybody in this community.”
He said his sister was a popular employee at the local Sobeys, where she worked for more than two decades.
She was walking to work at the grocery store when she was hit during the clean-up from an overnight snowstorm.
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“Tina walks to work every day. She doesn’t take a drive. She always says that’s her time to walk. She’d get her peace of mind then before she’d go to work,” said Gordie.
Truro Police Service said they arrived at the scene, alongside firefighters and paramedics, at around 6:30 a.m.
Police Chief Dave MacNeil said the woman was walking through the parking lot of a car dealership when she was struck by a snowplow operated by a private contractor.
“We’ve interviewed several people. We’ve obtained video. Conditions at the time were blowing snow, and there was quite a bit of snow coming down. So the conditions weren’t great for visibility,” said MacNeil.
“At the same time (as) the contractor was backing up, the female crossed the parking lot between two parked cars and was struck by the plow.”
MacNeil said the incident appears to be an accident and not criminal, but an investigation is ongoing.
“It’s hard on the family, hard on their first responders, hard on community in general, and it’s a tragedy,” he added.
In a statement, a spokesperson from Sobeys said, “Our entire team is devastated. Our focus is on supporting our teammates’ family and the local store through this crisis.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched for the family and has already raised more than $40,000.
“I’m just overwhelmed. Tina wouldn’t even believe this is happening right now,” Gordie said about the fundraiser.
“We are all humbled, and we want to thank the community for your support for Tina. She would be overwhelmed by all this support and love and caring for her.”
He said his family is trying to stay strong in honour of his sister, who he stressed always put family and community first.
“She loved people, she loved life, and just for everybody to remember her the way the last time they’d seen her — and I’m sure they remembered her with a smile on her face,” he said.
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