CRASH KILLS ONE

As a child falling is part of growing up and most will bounce back but as a senior a fall could be life altering.

Lola-Dawn Fennell, general manager for the Prince George Council of Seniors, is hosting a Fall Awareness and Prevention information session Thursday, March 5 at the Prince George & District Senior Citizens Activity Centre Society, 425 Brunswick St., from 1 to 2 p.m.

Fennell said she’s had experience falling and wants to share with others just how serious it can be for some and what precautions to take to prevent a fall.

“Everyone who wants to learn more is invited to the session since most falls are predictable and preventable,” Susan Tapp, Prince George Council of Seniors housing information coordinator, said.

One person was killed in a collision between a logging truck and two other vehicles on Highway 97 south of the city last Thursday, RCMP confirmed.

Emergency personnel were called to the scene between Patterson Road East and Courval Road, 15 km south of the Boundary Road turnoff for the airport, shortly after 9 a.m. The stretch was reopened to single-lane alternating traffic shortly before 7 p.m. and fully reopened later the same night.

“This is a chance to learn how slips, trips and falls occur and how to prevent them. It’s really difficult to recover from a fall when you’re a senior so prevention is the key.”

Tapp had a fact sheet she shared:

• 85 per cent of seniors’ injuries are related to falls,

• 95 per cent of all hip fractures are a result of falls,

• falls incur $2 billion a year in direct healthcare costs,

• one third of seniors are admitted to a long term care facility after a fall.

“Falls can result in chronic pain, reduced mobility, loss of independence and sometimes even death,” Tapp said.

To find out more about fall prevention, everyone is welcome to attend the information session.

RCMP said a sport utility vehicle and a pickup truck collided with the logging truck, spilling its load onto the highway. Another person was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.

“At this time, police are in the early stages of a fatal collision investigation,” RCMP said.

“The cause is undetermined and nothing has been ruled out.”

Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact RCMP traffic services in Quesnel at 250-9929211.