A woman who had the hair ripped from her scalp in a horror workplace accident has revealed how her kids struggle to recognise her.
Anna Rachfal, 29, 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.
Until one day, when they were ripped out of her head.
“One of the machines had broken down and as I turned to see what was wrong, I felt something tugging on my hair,” the mum, from Coventry, told Need To Know.
“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 had moved to the UK from Poland in July 2018.
She had found love with Rad, 37, and thanks to her stable job, too, 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.
Anna said: “I was surrounded by my coworkers, 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 mum, Izabela, 57, brother, Paul, 35 and sister, Iga, 32, arrived to give their support.
Paul muttered: ‘You’re still beautiful to us’ which only confused Anna more, since she was still unaware of her injuries.
Anna after the incident. (Picture: Jam Press)
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.
Sadly, no amount of surgery was able to save Anna from this living nightmare.
She dealt 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.
And due to the loss of her hair, Anna’s femininity was stripped.
She said: “I felt like less of a woman.
Anna after skin graft. (Picture: Jam Press)
“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, they were fined £62,334.
Despite the payout, there was no closure, as Anna was fired immediately afterwards.
She approached Osbornes Law and pursued a civil suit against the insurance company that insured her place of work.
In April 2025, Anna received an undisclosed seven-figure settlement sum.
She’s now gone on to tie the knot with Rad, as well as welcoming two children, Robert, two, and Eliza, seven months.
But her battle is far from over.
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.”
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Anna after skin graft. (Picture: Jam Press)
