Bethany Benson had no idea that she was endangering herself when she stretched out during a long drive, but that’s sadly exactly what she was doing.

As Bethany’s boyfriend drove her home after spending the day with her aunt, she decided that she wanted to take a nap in the car, and she made herself comfortable because she just couldn’t seem to fall asleep in a sitting position. That’s why she tilted her seat all the way back and put her feet on the dashboard. She thought very little of it at the time, having no idea her life was about to change forever.

Bethany quickly fell asleep, but when she woke up, she was in a hospital bed and in incredible pain. Doctors told her that it was a combination of sleeping and trauma during the accident had caused her to block out what had happened.

As Bethany slept, a small car several vehicles ahead of the one she was riding in ran into a motorcycle, killing the motorcyclist. This set off a chain reaction, and in front of Bethany’s boyfriend’s car, a truck slammed on the breaks. Bethany’s boyfriend also hit the breaks, but he was too late, and his car hit the back of the truck with so much force, that the entire front of the vehicle was crushed.

Bethany’s boyfriend needed 100 stitches in his face, but he would be able to continue his life normally, apart from having a scar. Bethany, however, was not so lucky. When her boyfriend’s car hit the back of the truck, the airbags deployed at 200 miles per hour, sending her knees right into her face. The young woman had to be treated for a broken eye socket, a broken cheekbone, a broken nose, a dislocated jaw, a punctured lip, compressed feet and more.

Afterwards, Bethany would be left with permanent hearing damage, a permanently dilated pupil and permanently disfigured feet. In addition, doctor’s did not realize right away that Bethany’s brain was bleeding, and it left her with permanent brain damage. Before the accident, Bethany had been bilingual in English and French, but afterwards, she lost her ability to speak French and most of her ability to speak English.

Though it’s been years since the accident, Bethany still has to take twenty pills a day.

Bethany is still trying to work through her brain injuries to this day. Her mother says she has reverted back to being a teenager and regularly experiences bouts of anger that she can’t remember afterwards. She also often sends aggressive text messages to people for no reason, later struggling to remember she ever did it.

Had Bethany not put her feet on the dashboard, her life never would have changed in this way. Please be mindful of this next time you ride in a car.