An incredible set of before and after x-ray images have reinforced just how important it is to always wear your safety belt.
An ophthalmology surgeon originally shared the images to the medical site Figure 1, explaining that the woman in the scans had been involved in a car crash. She had not been wearing her seat belt at the time.
The 25-year-old was apparently thrown from her vehicle and suffered serious injuries. Indeed, as you can see from the images, her eye was found closer to her nasal cavity, while her facial and skull bones were crushed and warped out of shape and place.
She required major surgery to treat her injuries and heal her skull as much as possible.
“A trauma work-up revealed a traumatic brain injury with intracranial haemorrhage, a traumatic eye injury requiring enucleation, and extensive facial fractures,” explained the surgeon.
This is amazing
The ‘after’ photo is truly phenomenal – the surgeon managed to put the woman’s bones back in place with intricate work.
“This CT shows her completed facial reconstruction. Thanks to a dedicated multidisciplinary team, the patient is now ambulatory and recovering well,” the surgeon added.
The images were later shared to Reddit’s image site, Imgur, where they have gone viral. Indeed, people all over the world are stunned by the success of the reconstruction.
Commenting on the fact that this woman not only survived but has also healed so well, one person observed: “It just goes to show how incredibly shock- and trauma-resistant humans are.”
People are also sharing the images with a key reminder: no matter how short the distance of your trip, always remember to wear your seat belt.
Of course, it will make little difference if you’re not wearing your seat belt correctly, either.
A US mother learned this the hard way last year, after her six-year-old daughter was left seriously injured – because she popped the top part of her belt under her arm.
Little Samantha Martin suffered ‘seat belt syndrome’, caused when only the lap portion of the belt is worn, after her family’s car struck a tree, in October.
The belt actually cut through Samantha’s abdomen, leaving her with serious injuries and requiring surgery.
Opening up to local media after her daughter’s miraculous recovery, mum Shelly urged people to abide rigidly by car safety rules.
“We should’ve done better. This was completely avoidable,” she said.
These are two important messages that need to spread around, so be sure to share with your friends, mums.
