Flag person struck by pickup, killed near Heart's Content

A man working as a flagperson during brush clearing operations on Route 80 in eastern Newfoundland has died after being struck by a pickup truck.

RCMP said officers were called to the area between Heart's Content and New Perlicanon the Bay de Verde Peninsula around 9 a.m. Thursday.

A man in his early 50swas rushed to hospital, where he later died of his injuries, police say.

The driver of the pickup truck was not injured.

The highway was shut down until about 4 p.m., as police officers remained on scene.

Police told CBC News no charges have been laid yet, but the fatal crash is under investigation.

"We are deeply saddened to learn today that an employee of a contractor performing work for the Department of Transportation and Works has succumbed to injuries stemming from an incident earlier today," wrote the minister Steve Crocker in a news release late Thursday afternoon.

The department is cooperating with the investigation, Crocker said, calling it a "tragic accident."