Mother, 29, left totally bald after her ponytail got caught in a machine at factory where she worked – and now her children don’t recognise her
A woman who had the hair ripped from her scalp in a workplace accident has revealed that her children now struggle to recognise her.
Anna Rachfal, 29, who lives in Coventry, 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 in September 2019, when her locks were ripped out of her head in a terrifying accident.
‘One of the machines had broken down and as I turned to see what was wrong, I felt something tugging on my hair,’ she said.
‘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 moved to the UK from Poland in July 2018 after meeting partner Rad, 37, and thanks to her stable job, too, felt like everything was going perfectly.
But after regaining consciousness following the horrific incident, it quickly became clear how much her life was about to change.
Former factory worker Anna Rachfal, 29, who lives in Coventry, had her hair ripped out in a horrific workplace accident
The 29-year-old, who is originally from Poland, was working as a factory machine operator when the accident occurred
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 mother, Izabela, 57, brother, Paul, 35 and sister, Iga, 32, arrived to give their support.
Paul said: ‘You’re still beautiful to us’, which only confused Anna more, since 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.’
A machine broke down and Anna’s hair, which was in a ponytail at the time, got stuck in a rotating drill
The mother-of-two said that, following the horrifying accident, her children struggled to recognise her
Anna’s hair will never grow back naturally, she has been told, which has led her to purchase wigs
Pictured: Anna, her partner Rad, and their two children Eliza (pictured left) and Robert (pictured right)
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 felt as though her femininity was stripped. 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.
The mother-of-two said that her painful injuries make her unable to be the best mother she could be
Following the accident, Anna has gone on to tie the knot with Rad – the pair have two children
‘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, and the pair have two children, Robert, two, and Eliza, seven months.
But her battle is far from over. She said: ‘I have to deal with the consequences forever.
‘It’s upsetting that my injuries make me unable to be the best mother 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.’
