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Woman who was left with no forehead after car crash warns against putting your feet on the dashboard

Home> Community

Published 17:13 4 Mar 2023 GMT

Woman who was left with no forehead after car crash warns against putting your feet on the dashboard

"I want people to learn from my mistake"

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Featured Image Credit: Gráinne Kealy/Hero Images Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: UK News, Health, Cars, News

Claire Reid
Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

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Warning: This article graphic contains images which some readers may find distressing

A woman who was left with no forehead for two years spoke out about the dangers of putting your feet on the dashboard.

Gráinne Kealy was just 22 when her boyfriend's car skidded on some black ice and hit a wall.

And since her feet were resting on the dashboard over the airbag, they were forced back into her head, breaking almost every bone in her face.

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Speaking to LADbible about the crash, which took place on 16 December 2006, Gráinne said: "My boyfriend at the time was driving us through Borris-in-Ossory in County Laois to do a bit of Christmas shopping and I had my feet on the dashboard.

Gráinne Kealy was left with no forehead for two years.
Gráinne Kealy

"It wasn't something I normally did, but I had new shoes on so I knew I wouldn't leave dirty marks on the dashboard.

"My feet were on top of the airbag and, I know now, they inflate at 200mph. The force of that meant my knees were sent back into my face really powerfully.

"I broke nearly every bone in my face. I had a brain leak [called a CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid)] and I lost two teeth."

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Gráinne and her boyfriend were rushed to hospital where she underwent surgery to fix the leak on her brain and the fractures to her face.

However, just a few months later, it was discovered that Gráinne had an infection in the bone in her forehead.

Medics were forced to remove it in 2007, leaving Gráinne without a forehead for two years.

"It took a while to slowly go down," she explained. "It wasn't like I suddenly woke up and it was sunken in. It took a while, which probably helped me get used to it.

"For a long time, I was afraid to leave the house. I became a bit of a hermit.

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"I didn't want to go out and then when I did go out, I would get looks. I bought hats to cover it. I was also worried about banging my head."

She underwent a 10-and-a-half hour surgery after the crash.
Gráinne Kealy

But in June 2009, surgeons at Beaumont Hospital managed to reconstruct Gráinne's face by fitting a ceramic forehead.

She continued: "It was strange. I'm aware of it, but I can't really remember what it was like before I had it.

"Since it was first fitted, I've had fat taken from my stomach and injected either side of it to plump it out because you could see the edges."

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As well as undergoing numerous surgeries directly related to the crash, Gráinne says that the accident triggered a sort of 'domino effect', leading to more problems and issues.

Recovering from her acquired brain injury wasn't as easy as some people might think.

"I ended up with gallstones because of the medication I was on and I have near-constant headaches. There seems to be a different problem every year," she said.

"I know people have it much worse off than me and I'm so grateful for the treatment I've received, but it's hard to move on when it's still ongoing for me. I think in total I've had 16 procedures and surgeries."

Gráinne, who has a son, spoke out to warn others about sitting with their feet up while being a passenger in a car.

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Gráinne has since had a ceramic forehead fitted, but the road to recovery hasn't been straightforward.
Gráinne Kealy

She concluded: "You see it all the time. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Conor McGregor and Selena Gomez have all posted photos to their Instagram with their feet on the dashboard.

"They have billions of followers who see that. You see it in films and on TV, it's everywhere.

"I just want to warn others about how dangerous it can be. I didn't know - and some people say to me 'how could you have been so stupid?' but I honestly didn't realise it could be so dangerous.

"I thought because I was wearing a seatbelt and was sat up properly in the car, I was safe.

"I want people to learn from my mistake."

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