Sask. farmer recalls horrific injury in appeal to stay safe

Bailey Kemery and her partner both love the farm life and live near Major, a small town in west central Saskatchewan, not far from the Alberta border.

I don't feel horrified...by those memories.- Bailey Kemery

They're expecting their first child soon, and on this, Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, they have a message for farmers everywhere.

"Every decision that you make has a consequence," said Bailey Kemery.

"It's taking your time, it's taking a second to think about it and it's taking a second to step back and then executing that decision, instead of just reacting, we are trying to act."

Powerful first-person account of the dangers

Kemery is not just some random safety week spokesperson.

She grew up on a farm. One day, Bailey, just four years old, and her brother were sitting on the running rototiller when the machine shook itself into gear. Bailey fell backwards and into the spinning blades.

"I don't think it's something you would forget. But I don't feel horrified, I guess, by those memories," she told CBC Radio's The Morning Edition.

The injuries she suffered were devastating. Bailey's leg was nearly cut off, some internal organs were damaged, her face was cut up and her jaw was broken, and there was gash on her back from her right shoulder, down to the middle of her back.

Bailey's mother, fresh off a first aid course helped to save her life.

After surgeries and physiotherapy, Bailey Kemery, now in the high school years spotted a farm safety ad on TV where they were asking for speakers to volunteer.

"I thought, hey I could do that, I could speak about it," she recalled.

In the end, Kemery ended up speaking to hundreds of young people about trying to stay safe on the farm, a lesson she believes resonated with her audiences.

"They thought wow this could actually happen to me because it happened to her."

It's why she keeps speaking out to this day. With a baby on the way, Kemery said they won't isolate their child away from the farm life, but they will teach respect for the land, and respect for the potential dangers that lurk there.