I slipped on black ice and felt fine - only to realize I had a bump the size of a 'second head'

One keen runner was left with a horrific 'second head' when she slipped on some black ice while exercising - and has since been compared to 'the sloth from Ice Age'.

Rachel Pepper, 26, - who was six miles into her morning jog in Chicago, Illinois last month - said she had initially stood up and 'felt fine' after falling and hitting her forehead on the tarmac.

The marketing worker had even thought that bystanders were being dramatic when she noticed them looking 'shocked and scared'.

But when she took her phone out and took in her reflection - Rachel realized just how 'scary' the injury was. 

Jaw-dropping photos taken just five minutes after the accident show a huge bump visibly protruding from her eyebrow - it was so comically large that some have remarked it 'could only happen in cartoons'.

Rachel Pepper - who was six miles into her morning jog in Chicago, Illinois last month - said she had initially stood up and 'felt fine' after falling. Pictured minutes after the accident

The marketing worker (pictured) had even thought that bystanders were being dramatic when she noticed them looking 'shocked and scared'

'I didn't feel dizzy, I was able to walk, so I thought that everyone around me was overreacting,' Rachel explained.

'I was confused, because I obviously felt the pressure in my head but I didn't feel as bad as the bump looks.

'I've never seen this happen to anyone before, and I was a bit worried that it was something in the brain.'

Shocked, she quickly rushed to A&E where a CT scan thankfully showed that no serious damage was done. 

'The spot was in the shade, which is why I didn't see the black ice,' she added, recalling the 'quick' fall.

'There wasn't any part of the trail that had any [visible] ice on it at all.'

Rachel is now - more than a fortnight later - still recovering at home and has developed a black eye as a result of the injury.

However, she says the ginormous bump is slowly but surely shrinking. 

Shocked, she quickly rushed to A&E where a CT scan thankfully showed that no serious damage was done. Rachel pictured at the hospital 

Rachel is now - more than a fortnight later - still recovering at home and has developed a black eye as a result of the injury

And determined Rachel, who is training for a marathon, admits that she was more 'angry' than hurt by the accident. 

'I was really worried that I had hurt myself,' she said. 'But thankfully I'm back in my training and I'll be able to run my marathon in May.

'I'm still very confident about running. I will say I haven't been to that section of the trail since the accident, and I'm definitely hesitant to be running in that area of the trail.'

This is 'definitely the worst injury' she has had while running - but Rachel says she won't be deterred from taking part in the sport she's loved since 13 years old.

She - and social media users - have even found levity in the situation. 

This is 'definitely the worst injury' she has had while running - but Rachel says she won't be deterred from taking part in the sport she's loved since 13 years old. The fitness enthusiast pictured on a run

Jaw-dropping photos taken just five minutes after the accident show a huge bump visibly protruding from her eyebrow 

The fitness enthusiast shared footage of her unusual bump on TikTok on March 14, where it has now racked up more than 18,000 likes and comments. Pictured in hospital 

'All the comments [on TikTok] have been very funny to me, and I'm really happy that I can joke about it,' Rachel added.

'[I've been compared to] the sloth from Ice Age and Quasimodo.'

The fitness enthusiast shared footage of her unusual bump on TikTok on March 14, where it has now racked up more than 18,000 likes and comments.

'Ma'am did your brain come out of your skull because that is the largest bump I've ever seen,' one concerned user said.

Another added: 'This is what I thought would happen when I was a kid if I hit my head. Like the cartoons.'

A third said: 'Are you okay now?

'Idk if you can laugh about it now but my boyfriend said [you look like] Sid from Ice Age and now I can't unsee it.'