A woman who lost her forehead after a traumatizing car accident has issued a warning to all those who put their feet on the dashboard.
Gráinne Kealy, from Ireland, was left with extensive injuries after being involved in a horrendous accident back in 2006.
According to The Sun, Kealy had her feet up on the dashboard while seated in the passenger seat of her boyfriend's Jeep when black ice caused the car to skid and crash into a wall.
With the car's airbags deployed at around 120mph, Gráinne’s knees were propelled into her head with severe force.
Gráinne opened up about the crash, which occurred when she was 22 years old, in an interview with Fabulous, sharing: "I broke every bone in my face.
"When I was rushed to the hospital, doctors had no choice but to remove my forehead. I had nothing in place of my forehead. My head sunk in and I looked a little strange," she added.
In addition to multiple facial fractures, the woman suffered from a cerebrospinal fluid leak from her brain, necessitating treatment from a neurosurgeon.
“They told me that I had pushed in and up my face and they would have to basically pull it all out and put it back together," she said, per The Sun.
Despite the operation being a success, Grainne was back in hospital a year later with further complications.
It wasn't until 2009 that she received a custom-made "new forehead" crafted from Italian ceramic.
Ever since her accident, Gráinne has dedicated her life to educating others about road safety and the dangers of putting your feet on the dashboard.
She shared a stark warning in a lengthy Facebook post, which read: "I sent out an email a few years ago in the hope of preventing anyone from going through what I have had to go through.
"The sad truth is that I know the message hasn't reached far enough. The more people I talk to about what happened to me the more I realize I have to do more.......so I am asking you all to please pass it on," she added.
Gráinne also expressed concern to Sky News about celebrities posting pictures of their feet on the dashboard to "millions and millions of people".
"I can't compete with that but I still feel like I have to try," she said. "It breaks my heart to think of anyone having to go through the hell myself and my family have had to go through. If it takes me sharing my story and my photos, as scary as they are, then so be it."
In 2019, she the winner of the Road Safety Authority's Gertie Shields Supreme Award due to her work raising awareness about the all-too-overlooked safety issue.
