He wore his safety glasses religiously for 26 years without any problems, but it was the day he decided not to wear them during a hunting expedition that tragedy struck.
Motivational speaker Tony Crow of Texas was at the Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute as the keynote speaker during the 麻豆传媒AVeast Environmental and Safety Seminar. Capping off a day filled with liability management information, high voltage safety and other energy related topics, 颁谤辞飞鈥檚 message was simple: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about me.鈥�
颁谤辞飞鈥檚 In the Blink of an Eye聽presentation covered safety at work and at home and the number of people tragedy affects, all of which was emphasized by his personal story. Crow lost his eyesight in 2003 while quail hunting with his son, who accidently shot him in the eye. Crow wasn鈥檛 wearing safety glasses.
鈥淲hile recovering in the hospital, my wife had to ask the doctor, 鈥楧oc, if my husband had been wearing safety glasses would it have blinded him?鈥� Without hesitation, he said 鈥楴o.鈥欌��
Crow said the number of people who supported his family during those difficult times after the accident made him realize accidents affect not only the victim but also everyone in that person鈥檚 life.
鈥淢y wife told me, 鈥榠f you can help one family from going through a tragedy like this, wouldn鈥檛 it be worth it?鈥� And I said, 鈥極K, I鈥檒l do it,鈥欌�� Crow said, after explaining to the audience his initial reluctance to become a motivational speaker.
Speaking with the utmost confidence and poise, Crow walked the audience through the accident and his new life as a blind man, admitting it was an extremely difficult process, one that was made easier by his leader dog, Rudy.
Crow reminisced about his early days with Rudy, and in particular, an afternoon when he wanted to cross a street. Crow couldn鈥檛 hear any cars and wasn鈥檛 aware of any trouble. He asked his instructor, who stood a few feet away, why Rudy stopped. There was a puddle on the street, his instructor answered.
鈥淩udy couldn鈥檛 tell if the puddle was this deep, or this deep,鈥� Crow said, motioning with his fingers the varying depths. 鈥淚 was amazed that they can teach a dog, in one year鈥檚 worth of training, to not take chances, and I went to 26 years鈥� worth of safety meetings and walked outside, rolling the dice hoping it wouldn鈥檛 come up with snake eyes.鈥�
Crow said he used to believe in the popular misconception that accidents couldn鈥檛 happen away from the workplace. He said it鈥檚 why he didn鈥檛 wear safety glasses moments before he lost his eyesight.
鈥淚f anything were to happen to me, it would happen at work, it would never happen away from work. Why? Because we talk about safety at work, so that must mean that鈥檚 the only place that鈥檚 dangerous,鈥� he said.
Crow noted hearing is the number one thing taken for granted at work, but stressed it doesn鈥檛 take a freak accident for one鈥檚 hearing to diminish.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a long process that you won鈥檛 notice until you can barely hear a thing,鈥� he said.
The motivational speaker addressed a popular situation among workers involving new employees pointing out unsafe practices performed by seasoned workers.
Approachability at work should be encouraged, Crow said. It shouldn鈥檛 be about getting someone in trouble or being a bully, and if a new worker does see something unsafe, he or she must point it out.
鈥淭ell that person, 鈥業鈥檓 here because I care about you,鈥欌�� he said.
Rudy acted as a guide, but more importantly, he was a close friend of 颁谤辞飞鈥檚 for nine years. Rudy passed away in 2012 due to cancer.
鈥淟osing Rudy was like losing my eyesight for a second time,鈥� he said.
颁谤辞飞鈥檚 inspirational message filled the auditorium as people listened intently to his successes after losing his eyesight, which included the continued operation of his 125-acre farm with the help of Rudy, shooting a quail without his eyesight, and of course, the formation of INJAM (It's Not Just About Me).
INJAM is a non-profit corporation providing scholarships to high school seniors who have overcome physical, mental or emotional disabilities. It also helps to fund local charities and mission work in and out of the United States.
