Police have shared this x-ray to warn others about the dangers of riding with your feet up (Picture: Wales News Service)

Police have released a picture showing the devastating injuries a young woman suffered when she was in a crash.

The victim, who has not been named, had her hips crushed because her feet were on the dashboard and not in the footwell.

One of her hips was broken while the other was dislocated.

The image was shared by sergeant Ian Price who said: ‘Here is an X-ray of horrific injuries sustained to the front seat passenger who had their feet on the dashboard at the time of a collision.


‘If you see your passenger doing it, stop driving and show them this.’



In 2017 we reported on a mother who was left permanently disabled following a crash in which she had her feet on the dashboard.

Audra Tatum’s leg flew back into her face breaking her ankle, nose and hip in four places (Picture: Audra Tatum)

Audra Tatum broke her ankle, nose and femur in four places when her husband hit a car that pulled out in front of them.

She said: ‘All my life I had my legs crossed and my foot on the dash. My husband always told me, “You’re going to get in a wreck someday, and you’re going to break your legs”.’

She said that when the collision happened she had no time to move.

‘The airbag went off, throwing my foot up and breaking my nose,’ she said. ‘I was looking at the bottom of my foot facing up at me.

‘Basically my whole right side was broken, and it’s simply because of my ignorance. I’m not Superman. I couldn’t put my foot down in time.

My foot was on the dash. The air bag went off… my foot broke my nose. Nose broke ankle. Femur broke into 4 pieces. And arm broke trying to stop impact. I have so many screws and Rods and I am miserable to this day!!!

Grainne after a crash in 2007 when her knees smashed into her forehead causing this injury

‘DON’T RIDE OR LET PEOPLE RIDE LIKE THIS!!!!!! I am disabled at 31 years old from this. No one else was hurt. Just me. I lost my career and all from that day.’

Her local fire brigade added: ”Airbags deploy between 100 & 220 MPH. If you ride with your feet on the dash and you’re involved in an accident, the airbag may send your knees through your eye sockets.’

In 2007 Grainne Kealy, 35, broke every bone in her face during a crash when an airbag inflated and pushed her knees up towards her head.

She was left ‘unrecognisable’ in the crash, which happened while a passenger in her boyfriend’s jeep.

She suffered a leak to the brain, minor brain injury, and lost two teeth.

The most visible injury, however, was having to have her entire forehead removed for two years, then replaced with a ceramic one.