An Alice Springs tow truck driver who has lost sight in one eye following a random rock attack says he is slowly adjusting to a life he never imagined for himself.
Matt Page was recovering a stolen vehicle for police last Wednesday night when a rock flew through his open window, striking him in the face.
"The only way I can describe it is my face exploded in pain," he said.
He still has no idea who was responsible for the attack.
Despite undergoing emergency surgery immediately after the attack, doctors warned there was a 95 per cent chance Mr Page would be permanently blind in his left eye.
Now, it seems certain he will never recover complete vision.
"I had a check-up Monday morning. Just in the way the eye specialist patted me on the shoulder, I took that to mean 100 per cent blindness," he said.
Mr Page said the life-altering diagnosis was "still a bit surreal".
"I wake up most mornings and there's this reminder when I open my eyes that I can't see out of one of them," he said.
"It's definitely taking a toll on me mentally."
Uncertainty over future
Mr Page said one of his greatest passions was his work as a tow truck driver.
"I've spent the past three years helping people on the side of the road when they've broken down," he said.
"I'd even go against company policy and bring people in free of charge so that they're not stranded out bush."
But now the future of his beloved career hangs in the balance.
And his dreams to drive around the country next year in an old Mercedes Benz Unimog, which he has transformed into a mobile home, are on hold.
"So basically, every plan I've had for the last five, seven years has just been destroyed," he said.
Despite this, Mr Page said he "hadn't found any hate in his system".
"I have found myself having a bit of a cry every now and again just because of the sheer adjustment to life," he said.
"And you know, there's definitely a feeling of unfairness."
Police investigating attack
NT Police Acting Commander Sean Gill said detectives were continuing to investigate the incident, and called for witnesses.
"It's quite horrific," he said.
"This person was just doing his job and gets hit in the eye."
The attack comes as Alice Springs's latest crime statistics, which run through to the end of January, reveal a spike of almost 50 per cent in assaults over the past 12 months.
Domestic violence-related assaults surged more than 60 per cent, while alcohol-related assaults were up 68 per cent.
However, Acting Commander Gill said he was "fairly confident" future data would show a drop in these "terrible" numbers, as children went back to school and alcohol restrictions returned across the region.
"But to say I'm happy about it? No. It's still too high," he said.
"We've always got to be going lower and lower."
