Woman in UK breaks her neck after morning yawn, nearly dies in freak accident

Morning yawn leaves UK woman breaking her neck and requiring emergency surgery

A 36-year-old woman from Milton Keynes, United Kingdom (UK), nearly lost her life after a simple morning yawn went horribly wrong, leaving her with a broken neck and requiring emergency surgery.

The bizarre incident occurred in 2016, but resurfaced in 2025 when the woman, Ms Hayley Black, recounted her ordeal in a now-private TikTok video.

Woman felt ‘electric shocks’ after streching & yawning

The accident happened early one morning while Hayley was caring for her newborn baby, Amelia.

Seeing her baby yawn, Hayley instinctively stretched and yawned herself, but immediately felt an “electric shock” sensation shoot through her body, leaving her arm stuck in the air.

“I couldn’t bring my arm down without being in beyond excruciating pain,” she said.

Realising something was seriously wrong, she asked her husband, Ian, 39, to call an ambulance.

50/50 chance of surviving surgery

At the hospital, early scans initially appeared normal, leaving doctors baffled.

However, due to her persistent pain, doctors did more tests and further imaging revealed that her C6 and C7 vertebrae had “shot forward into her spine” due to the force of the yawn, according to British news website Dexerto.

Doctors warned her that the injury was life-threatening, giving her a 50/50 chance of walking again or even surviving the surgery.

Still faces long-term consequences after treatment

Emergency surgery successfully stabilised Hayley’s spine, preventing permanent paralysis, but she still faced long-term consequences.

She spent six months in a wheelchair, had to re-learn how to walk, and developed fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, according to British media Wales Online.

She also carries a tracheal scar and continues to experience nerve pain down her arms, back, and neck.

Avoids yawning whenever possible

In the clip, Hayley explained that the accident occurred when the discs in her neck compressed her spinal cord, calling it a “freak accident”.

She suppresses yawns whenever possible and takes regular medication to manage nerve pain.

“10 years later, and I’m still scared to yawn and stretch,” she admitted.

Despite the lasting damage, Hayley remains grateful to have retained full control of her body.

Following her story, many netizens flocked to show her support. One netizen admired how she had overcome such a difficult trauma, calling her “a brave and strong woman”.

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