'Blood bubbling out the side of my face when I was breathing' - Teen injured in Galliagh car burning

The Derry teenager who received serious facial injuries during disturbances in Galliagh has praised the “brilliant” care she received from the medical staff in Altnagelvin Hospital, following the horrific incident.

19-year-old Molly suffered a broken jaw and a laceration to her cheek on Monday night (August 7) when she was hit by debris from a burning car.

Speaking to Derry Now following her release from hospital, Molly, who was in Galliagh leaving a friend home, said she was chatting to another friend on the phone when a piece of the car suddenly flew off and smashed into her face.

Molly's horrific facial injury.

“I just crumpled,” recalled Molly. “I didn’t fall. I swerved and grabbed my jaw.

“I felt my jaw lock, is the only way I could describe it. I was so confused. I remember actually thinking, ‘Did my jaw just lock?’ It all happened so quickly. Everything was flashing through my mind.

“I didn’t understand what had just happened, and I put both of my hands on my jaw to try and put it back into place. That is when I realised my face was bleeding. I could feel the blood running down my neck. I could feel there was a hole in my face.

“Whenever I was breathing, the blood was bubbling out the side of my face. There was a hole in through my cheek. The blood was literally spitting out the side of my face. The very hood of the hoodie I was wearing had parts of my skin on it.

“Once I realised what was going on, I put my hood up and tried to walk away as quickly as I could. The first thing I did was to check that I still had all of my teeth. Then I was talking to myself, trying to reassure myself, saying, ‘It’s only a small cut, a couple of stitches and you’ll be grand’. I didn’t realise that my jaw was broken,” said Molly.

Facial injury inflicted by piece of heavy metal flying off burning car.

At this stage, Molly said she was conscious the adrenalin in her system was going to wear off and the pain would be “horrendous”.

Molly was taken to Altnagelvin by her mum and dad. “By the time I was on the Bridge, my face was in agony,” said Molly.

Admitted for surgery, she was discharged from hospital on Thursday.

“I received a mouth and head x-ray immediately. At this stage I was in severe pain but there was so much going on and everything seemed to be happening really quickly, i just kept repeating to myself, ‘You’ll be grand’, said Molly.

“They told me straight away my jaw was broken and that I needed two metal plates. I was a bit scared then. Thankfully I was given pain relief. Everyone looked after me very well in Accident and Emergency and on the ward, when I was admitted to hospital for surgery. They were very good to me, constantly checking me.”

Molly underwent her surgery on Wednesday afternoon.

“Personally, I think I am really lucky,” said Molly. “Before the surgery, they told me I could have died as a result of the impact of whatever hit my jaw.

“If it had been a few inches lower, at my neck, it would have killed me or if it had been a few inches higher, I could have lost an eye or if it had hit my temple, I could have died.

“My surgeon said I was hit by a piece of heavy metal.

“My jaw is basically stitched the whole way round on the inside, on the bottom row. They are dissolvable stitches, so in the next seven to ten days they should start to melt and the stitches in the hole in my cheek, I’ll get them taken out at my GP’s in a week’s time. The metal plates are now in my jaw.

“The swelling in my face has gone down a bit but it is still very noticeable. I am trying not to dwell on it but I do think I will try and get counselling to deal with the whole thing. I am aware of people staring at my face. I had a wee cry with my daddy. It’s difficult to come to terms with how I look at the minute,” said Molly, who is nevertheless determined to overcome the experience.