On 5 October 1999, the Ladbroke Grove rail crash occurred; thirty-one people died in the crash; Warren was among 419 injured passengers. Her injuries were so severe she was not expected to survive. She was in a coma for three weeks and skin grafts were added to her leg, hands and face. She suffered full thickness burns to these areas and underwent numerous operations by plastic surgeons. To minimise scarring, her doctors prescribed a clear perspex mask that she wore over her face 23 hours a day for 18 months. Dubbed by the media as ‘The Lady in the Mask’ this spurred the title of her book From Behind the Mask. She was in the hospital for close to three months. Warren underwent years of reconstructive surgery including over 23 operations and was diagnosed in 2001 with post traumatic stress disorder.
