Woman warns against putting feet on dashboard after she lost entire forehead

She suffered severe facial injuries

Gráinne Kealy was involved in a horrific car crash back in 2006 which ended up leaving her without a forehead.

She was sat in the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s Jeep when she decided to put her feet up on the dashboard.

But when the vehicle skidded on some black ice and hit a wall, the airbag deployed. This propelled Gráinne’s knees into her head at a speed of 200mph.

She explained in a post on Facebook: “By doing this, my feet were placed directly on top of the airbag without realising it.

“When the jeep collided with the wall, the airbags inflated as they do, but because my feet were on top of mine, it actually pushed my feet, knees first, into my face.”

Kealy added that because of the speed the airbags inflate it, she “kneed myself in the face at 200 mph.”

The then-22-year-old was left with severe facial injuries and a minor brain injury. Her mum was “told that I had broken every bone in my face”, and she also lost two teeth.

She wrote: “One of my first memories is looking in the mirror for the first time. I didn’t recognise the face looking back at me. That is one of the worst memories I have, and one that I hope with all my heart not many people will ever have to go through.”

Doctors told her that because her knees had pushed her face inward and upward, she would need facial reconstruction.

After living without a forehead for two years, she finally got a “brand-new Italian ceramic forehead” fitted by surgeons in 2009.

Speaking to Ireland: AM, she said: “I looked… scary. I mean, part of your face is missing. And you can touch your brain. 

“My doctor’s loved me – because you’re never going to get to touch the brain of someone who is alive.”

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.

In a post on Facebook, she said: “This breaks my heart to think of how many millions of people have seen these celebrities with their feet on the dashboard. I can only hope that people will eventually learn from my mistake.”

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