Mum’s hair ripped out in horror accident and now her youngsters do not recognise her

WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Anna Rachfal, 29, of Coventry, was working as a factory machine operator when her hair got caught in a rotating drill and was ripped out. She needed surgery

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A mum who had the hair ripped from her scalp in a horrific workplace accident has revealed how her kids struggle to recognise her.

Anna Rachfal, 29, said that she used to be proud of her luscious, long blonde locks. To keep them safe while working as a factory machine operator, she’d tie them up securely in a high ponytail.

But she was left devastated when one day they were ripped out of her head. She said: “One of the machines had broken down and as I turned to see what was wrong, I felt something tugging on my hair.

“In sheer horror, I realised the end of my ponytail had got caught in a rotating drill. And the off switch was out of reach.

“I screamed for help, but nobody could hear me. Before I passed out from the pain, I heard a horrible ripping noise. It was my scalp – and my lovely hair – being torn away.”

Anna, who lives in Coventry, had moved to the UK from Poland in 2018. She found love with Rad, 37, and thanks to her stable job felt like everything was going perfectly. But after regaining consciousness following the horrific incident in September 2019, it quickly became clear how much her life was about to change.

She said: “I was surrounded by my co-workers, who I kept apologising to. I wiped the blood from my eyes and was surprised when I spotted police cars, as well as an ambulance, outside.

“Then I felt an excruciating pain in my neck. In the hospital, I was told I needed emergency surgery. Everything was such a blur and I had no idea what was going on.”

Her family, including brother Paul, 35, arrived to give their support. Paul muttered, ‘”You’re still beautiful to us”, which Anna said only confused her more as she was still unaware of her injuries.

When she woke up from surgery, her new reality was made clear. She said: “I was told that I lost all the skin, muscles and hair on my head, as well as both my eyebrows and one of my ears.

“The doctors told me I was lucky I hadn’t lost my entire face – or even life. I was absolutely horrified, as I looked like a monster.”

Over the next two months, she received extensive skin grafts to reconstruct her scalp. But she still had to deal with hearing loss, dizziness, “agonising” nerve pain, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. The sight of machinery, even kitchen equipment, would trigger panic attacks.

She said: “I felt like less of a woman. My hair would never grow back naturally and as I had no tissue on my head, I couldn’t even get a transplant.

“I found a specialist wig shop online through another girl who had been through a similar accident. While they helped, I was still painfully self-conscious; I’d spend hours getting ready, even just to pop to the shops. Children would stare at my scars, while adults asked what happened.”

An investigation was carried out on her employer, P&D Engineering LTD, which found a failure to install a guard on the drill. In August 2021, the firm was fined £62,334.

She later pursued a civil suit against the insurance company that insured her place of work. Last April she received an undisclosed seven-figure settlement sum.

Anna has now gone on to tie the knot with Rad, as well as welcoming two children, Robert, two, and Eliza, seven months.

But she added: “I have to deal with the consequences forever. It’s upsetting that my injuries make me unable to be the best mum I could be.

“And sometimes, when I change my wigs, my kids fail to recognise me, which breaks my heart. No amount of money will give me back the last six years of my life – or my future that has been ruined by this accident.

“But I’m determined to hold my head up high and share my story. I’ll wear my scars with pride.”

P&D Engineering LTD has been approached for comment.

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