An Irish woman who lost part of her forehead in a horror crash has received a prestigious road safety award.
Grainne Kealy was the winner of the Road Safety Authority's Gertie Shields Supreme Award at a Croke Park ceremony on Wednesday.
In 2017 the Tipperary native shared photos of her horror injuries to warn passengers about the dangers of putting their feet up on the dashboard of a moving car.
Grainne bravely spoke out after seeing a string of celebrities like Selena Gomez posting photographs of themselves in the exact same dangerous pose.
She lost part of her forehead and sustained a brain injury in a car smash when she was just 22.
The shocking injuries resulted from her feet being positioned on top of the air bag.
She previously told RSVP magazine: “The more people I talk to about what happened to me the more I realise I have to do more, so I am asking you all to please pass it on.
"I think maybe words are not enough anymore so I am going to finally show some photos of what can happen when you put your feet on the dashboard. This is my story AGAIN."
Grainne posted her story along with the harrowing photos on yesterday on Facebook, where it has already been shared hundreds of times.
She wrote: “When I was 22 my life was turned upside down.
"An accident changed my life forever and I am ready to tell the world about it and hopefully in the process it might help prevent the same happening to someone else!”
“On the 16th of December 2006 my boyfriend and I left our home in Galway for my home place in Laois. Going through Borris-in-Ossary the jeep skidded on a patch of black ice and crashed into a wall.
“As accidents go it was a bad enough one. The jeep was destroyed but thank god there were no other vehicles involved. My boyfriend got out with minor injuries thank god but he has all the memories! It is thanks to him and my family that I can tell you this story.”
She continued: “You see I had decided along the way that I would be more comfortable if my feet were on the dashboard. It was something I rarely did and only did that morning as I had bought a new pair of Ugg boots and knew that I wouldn’t dirty the dashboard.
“Silly when you think about it! By doing this my feet were placed directly on top of the airbag without realising. 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, knee’s first into my face.
“I didn’t know much about how airbags work so here’s some information I have learned to better help you understand how dangerous it is…… The airbag system ignites a solid propellant, which burns extremely rapidly to create a large volume of gas to inflate the bag.
"The bag then literally bursts from its storage site at up to 200 mph (322 kph) — faster than the blink of an eye! A second later, the gas quickly dissipates through tiny holes in the bag, thus deflating the bag so you can move.”
She added: “So there you go…….now you get it. I kneed myself in the face at 200mph!
"Sounds a lot worse now doesn’t it. I had really done a job on myself.
"I had multiple facial fractures (my mother was told that I had broken every bone in my face), a CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid) leak from my brain and oh yeah I lost two teeth!
“I was eventually moved to Beaumont Hospital under the care of my Neurosurgeon and the Max Fax (Maxillofacial) team.
"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! Sounds nice huh!"
Grainne's injuries were so bad she needed to have part of her forehead removed and replaced with a porcelain structure.
She recalled: “In 2007 I experienced a set back and had to have my forehead removed. Yes……my forehead! And yes……..all of it!
"I lived without my forehead for two years until the 17th of June 2009 when I got my brand new Italian ceramic forehead.
“I’m sure most of you reading this are a little puzzled by this……I know I was when they told me. I had nothing in place of my forehead for two years. My head sunk in and I looked a little strange.”
“But thanks to the amazing work done by the great surgeons in Beaumont Hospital you would never know it was fake.
"My recovery has been very tough and because of the complications in May 2007 I am still recovering.
"I am also recovering from a minor brain injury called Acquired Brain Injury but thanks to the people at A.B.I Ireland I am well on my way to being ME again!
She added: “It has been a long long road. I have no memory of the accident, the three months leading up to it or the month following it.
"I have a few little memories from my time in Beaumont but not much. 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 worse memories I have and one that I hope with all my heart not many people will ever have to go through.
“I am sharing my story now because I can’t stand the thought of another person having to go through what I have had to go through.
“I would hate for another person’s family to have to get that dreaded phone call as mine did! I have always said to my Mother.I got the pain but they got the memories.
"I see passengers with their feet on the dashboard a lot of the time and it breaks my heart.”
The fall out from Grainne's ordeal continues today as she still experiences severe headaches and confusion.
She wrote: "Not many people know about Acquired Brain Injury and to be honest neither did I.
"I do find it tough some days when I constantly lose words while in the middle of a conversation. This can happen to me twenty times a day.
"I get headaches when too many people are talking around and to me, when someone tries to talk to me over music and I sometimes find it difficult to stay focused.
She added: “I still dislike looking in a mirror and I do not like my face but I can deal with it much better now.
"I know when things are getting a little too much now and I know how to deal with it. I would have been lost without them and I will never be able to thank them enough for helping me.
“PLEASE KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE FLOOR IN A VEHICLE……..FRONT AND BACK PASSENGERS!! One of the worse parts about it is that it seems so obvious when you think about it.
"So please listen to me and learn from my horrible experience. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story.
“I can only hope with all my heart that you wont ever have to go through what myself and my loved ones have had to go through. Help me tell my story so something good can come out of such a bad experience!”
