Young Aussie driver’s warning after she suffered a serious injury from popular hair accessory: ‘Happened in an instant’

An Australian woman has issued a stark warning to drivers after a common hair accessory left her with a serious head injury following a rear-end crash.

Ella Carter, 22, from the Sunshine Coast, revealed that she suffered a serious concussion and ongoing whiplash after the plastic claw clip she was wearing shattered on impact during a car accident.

Her videos detailing the ordeal have now racked up a combined nine million views, with thousands admitting they had no idea the popular hair accessory could pose such a risk behind the wheel.

The crash happened in December as Ella was driving with her boyfriend to a party when traffic suddenly came to a sudden stop.

‘A guy in a four-wheel drive rammed me from behind,’ she told Daily Mail.

‘He didn’t see that traffic had come to a stop and was going around 60 kilometres per hour.’

Ella said she was immediately thrown forward and locked in place by her seatbelt.

‘Almost instantly I felt something shatter in my hair. I was really dazed and confused and thought it might’ve been glass,’ she explained.

Seconds later, a searing pain set in in the middle of her head before she felt her hair falling around her.

‘That’s when I remembered I had a claw clip in – it had basically just crumbled.’

While the clip didn’t puncture her skin or skull, the force of it smashing into the back of her head left her with a heavy concussion that lasted for three weeks as well as painful whiplash.

‘I’m still getting physio for the whiplash and I’m still not able to work,’ she said detailing the forceful moment and the fact even her sunglasses weren’t spared in the impact.

‘My sunnies flew off my head and the frames popped out.’

Doctors later told Ella the outcome could have been far worse if the clip had been made of metal, which is something they witness over and over again with unsuspecting drivers.

Now recovered enough to speak publicly, Ella said she felt compelled to warn others, particularly because she never considered the risk herself.

‘I would definitely warn people to never wear a claw clip in the car while driving, because anything can happen in an instant, even if you’re doing nothing wrong.’

‘I’ve always worn them in the car and so have my friends. I genuinely didn’t think about it because it’s just my everyday hairstyle.’

The response online has been overwhelming, with thousands weighing in to say the danger is well-known – particularly among driving instructors and medical professionals.

‘I saw a TikTok by a pathologist and they said they would not wear claw clips while driving as a cause of death in car accidents,’ one person wrote.

‘First thing my driving instructor insisted on is no claw clips!’ another added.

Others said they now refuse to drive with their hair clipped up.

‘I always take my claw clips out when I hop in the car for this reason. I’ve heard too many scary stories,’ one commenter said.

‘I always drive with my hair down or a low ponytail anyway. Those claw clips are so uncomfortable, I cannot rest my head.’

Despite some viewers insisting it’s common knowledge to go claw-clip free, Ella reiterated that the reaction proves many young Australians still don’t.