Teen feared she was about to die after long hair became caught in machine ripping off her scalp

A woman feared for her life after her hair became caught in a fruit sorting machine while at work, ripping away part of her head.

Alexandra Trandafil, was working at a fruit packing and processing plant in South Australia back in November 2020, when she was 18 years old.

She entered an area of the plant where fruit was sorted and washed along a long conveyor belt.

The belt became blocked and Trandafil was asked to sort out the blockage and pick up some oranges that had fallen off the belt, while the machine was still on.

It was here tragedy struck, when the teen's long hair became caught and her scalp was ripped away.

Facebook/Alexandra Trandafil

Paramedics were called out to the scene and were able to retrieve the missing part of her scalp before rushing her to hospital where surgeons attempted to reattach it.

Unfortunately for Trandafil, the operation was not a success and almost three years on she still has scarring and hair loss due to the accident, news.com.au reports.

An SA Employment Tribunal heard that Trandafil thought she was going to die after she became caught in the machine.

Katherine Eaton, deputy president of the SA Employment Tribunal said: “Shortly after lunch, her hair was caught in unguarded machinery and her entire scalp was ripped from her head.

“Despite the best efforts of the first responders and medical teams at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, attempts to reattach her scalp were only partially successful.

“In an instant, her young and hopeful life flipped into shock, trauma, ongoing pain and disfigurement.”

She went on: “She remained conscious from the moment of her injury.

The teen thought she was going to die during the incident. Facebook/Alexandra Trandafil

“She endured not only the pain and shock of her physical injury but the terror of looking up and seeing her hair and scalp hanging from the machine in front of her.

“She thought she was going to die.”

Trandafil continues to to undergo numerous surgeries following the accident.

The tribunal also heard that the company had been warned about potential dangers of similar equipment in the past.

The company told the tribunal it had since spent more than $60,000 to upgrade the safety procedures around the machinery.

The company pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching health and safety laws and was fined $120,000 (£62,000), as well as legal costs.