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Tripping over the family dog is not an uncommon cause of accidents, according to emergency room statistics. I accrue multiple hematomas monthly from collisions with furniture and cabinetry as I lurch over sleeping dogs to answer the phone.
Tripping over a guide dog, however, may be serendipity.
The British publication Dog Biz chronicles the fall of John Lawrence, blind for four years, who stumbled over his guide dog on the stairs, hitting his head as he fell, immediately regaining sight in both eyes. Presumably he jarred the optic nerve according to the book.
A similarly amazing recovery was reported in 2001. According to the New York Times, Lisa Reid, totally blind from the age of 14 due to a brain tumor, was cooking supper at the age of 24 when she bent over to kiss Ami, her guide dog, hitting her head on a coffee table in the process. According to Reid, “it wasn’t unusual. When you are blind, you hit yourself all the time. I got up, continued making dinner, and went to bed. When I woke up, I could see.”
According to the British newspaper the Telegraph, tripping over guide dogs and being injured were cited in reports of restored sight in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1988.
