Grey was involved in a devastating head-on automobile accident while vacationing in Ireland with her then-boyfriend, actor Matthew Broderick in 1987, nine days before the release of Dirty Dancing.
Grey considered herself fortunate to have survived when the occupants of the other automobile were killed. The impact, however, damaged many ligaments in the back of her neck whilst Mathew had a broken leg, a collapsed lung and a concussion.
Despite medical treatment, the actress continued to have terrible headaches that lasted for days and spasms in her neck when she rotated her shoulders. Grey’s neck became badly compressed in the years that followed.
She recovered emotionally from the accident and continued her acting career. Grey later married actor and director Clark Gregg and had a daughter, Stella, in 2001. Her life, however, was plagued by constant and crippling pain.
Broderick, who was driving in the wrong lane at the time of the accident, was found guilty of careless driving and fined. Jennifer underwent surgery to repair her compressed spinal cord and a titanium plate was implanted in her neck to stabilise it.