Watts transferred to Peace Arch Hospital

Mayor is making progress, surgery not anticipated after back was broken horseback riding.

Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts is back in the area after breaking her back in a horse riding accident last weekend.

Watts was transferred to Peace Arch Hospital on Wednesday evening from Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, where she was being treated for fractures of two vertebrae in her lower back.

She was trail riding on horseback on July 23, when her horse began to gallop. She landed hard in the saddle, suffering compression fractures in the two bones in her back.

Watts slumped off the horse, falling onto the rear of another horse and then to the ground.

A CT scan and a subsequent MRI has shown there was no nerve damage.

“She’s in stable condition, she’s progressing through her recovery process and the next few weeks will be important as part of that,” said Laura Ballance, spokesperson for the city.

She is not currently accepting visitors and there is no word at this point about when she’ll be released from hospital.

@diakiw

 

Surrey Now Leader