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Heartbreaking update from rollercoaster accident two years on

Two years on from a tragic accident that almost claimed the life of then 26-year-old Shylah Rodden, an investigation into the incident has been brought to a close. In September 2022, Shylah was hit by the moving Rebel Coaster at the Melbourne Royal Show when she allegedly walked onto the tracks to retrieve her phone. The incident cause horrific injuries, leaving Shylah in an induced coma for several weeks. The 28-year-old is still recovering from the accident, with her mother revealing that Shylah can walk and talk but is blind in her right eye and deaf in her left ear. “She has no sense of smell, she has difficulties swallowing, she has cognitive disabilities and impairments,” Kylie Rodden told the <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/shylah-rodden-rollercoaster-victim-remains-deaf-blind-two-years-after-tragedy/news-story/34ef054346b6eadb86231d7b49d2e7bb" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-type="article-inline">Herald Sun</a>. “Most of her days are taken up with different types of therapies.” The mother said her daughter’s “whole life has changed” after the devastating accident. The update on Shylah's recovery comes after WorkSafe Victoria confirmed a lengthy investigation into the incident that injured Rodden had ended and no further action would be taken. “After careful consideration of the evidence, WorkSafe has determined not to take further action against any duty holder on this matter at this time,” a spokesperson said. Rodden’s family said they were left “disappointed” by the decision. “At this stage, we have only received a letter from WorkSafe advising that their investigations are complete and that they have decided not to bring a prosecution against the ride operator,” Sharlene Mehta, Rodden’s lawyer and associate with Arnold Thomas and Becker, said. “We have not received a copy of WorkSafe’s report so we have no knowledge of what their investigations covered, or who was interviewed as part of their investigations." “WorkSafe did not interview Shylah, nor her family in relation to the incident.” Mehta said they were told there is an option to call on WorkSafe to reconsider its findings and potentially undertake further investigation, but they will not make a decision until they get a copy of the findings. “The incident has had far-reaching impacts on Shylah. Whilst her recovery has been miraculous, Shylah’s injuries will carry lifelong impacts,” Mehta said. Image credits: 7News

Caring

US comedian cracks cruel ‘jokes’ about rollercoaster victim Shylah Rodden

A US comedian has cracked a series of distasteful jokes about Shylah Rodden, the Melbourne woman who was hit by a rollercoaster last month. The 26-year-old suffered severe facial and brain injuries after being struck by the 70 km/h Rebel Coaster Ride at the Royal Melbourne Show, and she remains in hospital in a serious condition. It is believed she had walked onto the tracks to retrieve her phone when she was hit. But, comedian Anthony Jeselnik seemed to find the situation quite funny while discussing the accident with NFL Network analyst Gregg Rosenthal on their podcast, The Jeselnik & Rosenthal Vanity Project. “This story is absolutely hilarious to me,” Jeselnik said during the episode, titled ‘Your Luck Is Like A Rollercoaster, Baby-Baby’. “I bet no one could believe it. I bet she feels dumb.” Rosenthal then explained how Ms Rodden had only just re-learned how to walk when she was struck, having been involved in a car crash in January 2021 that saw her car collide with a truck and flip over, with Jeselnik bursting into laughter. “Now you’re wondering why is this funny to us?” Jeselnik said. “Walking onto a rollercoaster track is a bad idea. If you drop your cell phone, ask someone who works there to get your phone for you. Do not jump onto the rollercoaster tracks. “She’d gotten hit by a car a few years ago, had to go through physical therapy to be able to walk again. To celebrate learning to walk again… she goes to an amusement park and immediately gets hit by a rollercoaster “Can you be forgiven because you haven’t been walking around that much that you don’t really know how to walk, and so you think walking onto rollercoaster tracks are fine? “It’s bad luck but rollercoasters only go in two directions. It’s hard to get hit by them. “A car, ok anything could have happened, maybe you’re in the street, maybe the car jumped the kerb. “A rollercoaster, that’s your fault every single time.” Jeselnik’s comments come amid a growing number taking to social media to criticise Ms Rodden’s actions in the lead-up to the accident, with some claiming that she isn’t a victim and deserves to be in intensive care. Meanwhile, a friend of Ms Rodden has appealed for prayers for the young woman, who he described as having a “heart of gold”. “Please pray for Shylah Rodden. Shylah Rodden is one of my best friends [and has a] heart of gold. Shyla has always been there for me and is always there for anyone, not just her friends,” Mr Nawar wrote on Facebook. “She has suffered a horrible accident at the Melbourne Show and was put in a induced coma. I don’t know her current status but please ask anyone who sees this to make a small prayer for her and her family, even if it’s [as] small as please God help them heal. “Shylah and her family lost their son/brother a few months ago and were all still grieving. I saw the pain this had on Shylah.” Images: YouTube / Facebook

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Man who filmed rollercoaster incident opens up

A traumatised witness of the rollercoaster accident at Melbourne's Royal Show has spoken out about the moment Shylah Rodden was struck by the ride. Jordan was filming his sister and his partner having fun on the Rebel Coaster ride on Sunday when he captured the tragic moment the 26-year-old was hit by the rollercoaster travelling up to 70km/h. Jordan said he "hasn't slept since" witnessing the horrific accident, as he saw Shylah get dragged halfway up the ride's next loop before falling nine metres to the ground. He said he watched Shylah walk to the track and bend down to retrieve something, all without noticing the rollercoaster hurtling towards her. "It all happened so quickly but so slowly. All of a sudden, I saw someone getting taken up but at the same time I'm thinking 'f**k, my sister, my partner'," he told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/vic/eyewitness-who-filmed-melbourne-show-rollercoaster-disaster-reveals-what-really-happened-c-8384953" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">7News</a>. Ms Rodden remains in a coma with "horrific" facial injuries her family has described as "life-changing". However, the thing that surprised Jordan was how Ms Rodden reacted immediately after she was hit. "I didn't hear her scream. The screams that I heard came from onlookers, I think. It happened so fast," he said. Shylah's father told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11249351/Melbourne-woman-Shylah-Rodden-26-fighting-life-mystery-rollercoaster-tragedy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail Australia</a> he suspects his daughter will be in a coma for a long time, as she battles to overcome her injuries. <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“Obviously I can't talk to my daughter. She's going to be in a coma for quite a while,” Mr Rodden said. <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“The injuries are horrific. Horrific. She's brain damaged. It's pelvic, her arms, legs, back, neck - there's hardly a thing that's not broken. I just can't work out how the hell so much damage has been done. Even the doctors have said they haven't seen anything as bad as this for a long time.” <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">Image credits: 7News / Facebook

Caring

Tragic details emerge in rollercoaster incident

New details have emerged about the woman <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/the-screaming-was-so-loud-young-woman-struck-by-roller-coaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who was struck by a rollercoaster</a> at Melbourne’s Royal Show as her family hits back at online bullies. <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/the-injuries-are-horrific-rollercoaster-victim-identified" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shylah Rodden</a> remains in a critical condition after walking onto a section of the Rebel Coaster ride and being struck by one of the carriages shortly before 6pm on Sunday, suffering severe facial injuries. Since the tragic incident, it has been revealed that the Rodden family lost Shylah’s brother, Jason, less than two months ago. In a social media post dated July 27, Shylah said her “world came crashing down”. "Dad sat me down and told me that my brother had passed away," she wrote. "He wasn't just my big brother, he was my best friend, my everything, the person I looked up to and inspired to be like. "He taught me so much in life, he showed me the difference between right and wrong and he was never afraid to tell me how he really feels. "It doesn't feel real, I keep thinking you'll call me back." Speaking to the media on Monday, Shylah’s father Alan Rodden said he was still unsure as to what to believe about the incident. "There are a lot of stories going around and I don't know which one is true and if someone is covering their tracks," he told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11249799/Royal-Melbourne-rollercoaster-incident-Shylah-Rodden-familys-online-abuse-trolls.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail</a>. Mr Rodden said his 26-year-old daughter’s injuries were “horrific” and that she was fighting for her life. "The injuries are horrific. Horrific. She's brain-damaged. It's pelvic, her arms, legs, back, neck - there's hardly a thing that's not broken," he said. "I just can't work out how the hell so much damage has been done. Even the doctors have said they haven't seen anything as bad as this for a long time." Shylah’s sister Caisha told the outlet she was appalled at the online abuse directed at her sister, who is reportedly in a coma. “It’s sad and disgusting to see the false stories and cover up when my sister is fighting for my life,” she said. After police alleged she was trying to retrieve her mobile phone when she was hit, critics have said she was in the wrong, and Caisha said that rumours circulating about the details of the accident have caused more pain for her family as they struggle to cope. “Definitely misinformation regarding the accident, which is really sad and causing more distress for our family,” she said. “Shylah is in critical condition and we won't know more until later today as we will be discussing with police and giving some eye witness statements.” Caisha also revealed that her sister had been working at the show that day and had been helping at a friend’s stall when she was sent on a break with another worker, with both deciding to take the opportunity to go on some rides. With the incident still under investigation by WorkSafe, Brad Jenkins, the CEO of the Melbourne Royal Show has refused to speculate on details surrounding it, including whether the ride was surrounded by a fence or how Shylah got onto the tracks. "That's a subject for WorkSafe and police. That's part of the investigation. I wouldn't want to comment on that until the investigation goes through the process,” he told ABC Mornings host Virginia Trioli. Mr Jenkins did say that the operator of the ride was “devastated”. "Carnival operators are very close knit,” he added. “The show's about trying to put smiles on people's faces." Image: Facebook

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