The Perth woman whose face was impaled on a five-inch metal railing spike after she slipped on ice is recuperating with family.
Kirsty Scott (20) was rushed to Ninewells Hospital for emergency surgery when she was seriously injured in the accident outside her Oakbank Road home on December 19.
Neighbours said that the youth worker, who was detained in intensive care, was discharged from hospital on Christmas Eve and is staying with relatives.
Although the operation was hailed as a great success, Kirsty will need further surgery at a later date.
While the freak accident was traumatic for all involved, there is no doubt that the outcome could have been much worse.
Kirsty has yet to speak publicly about her ordeal but previously issued a statement from hospital to reassure well-wishers that she was recovering.
”I am on the mend and I would just like to express my thanks to all the emergency services and the doctors and nurses who helped me,” she said.
”They were all absolutely fantastic.”
She also gave permission for Douglas Kennedy, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Ninewells, to speak on her behalf.
He said: ”Kirsty has done surprisingly well under the circumstances. I think she will have surprisingly little long-term consequences after this, considering the injury.
”We had to carefully remove the spike, but the key is to have all the right bits and pieces in place in the first place so we know it’s safe.
”It generally comes out the same way it went in but we have to be prepared to deal with any other problems such as bleeding, so x-rays are important to know where major blood vessels are.
”I said to Kirsty after the operation that she got the full benefit of the resources of the NHS.”
Kirsty was in surgery for 40 minutes after two hours of preparation.