Woman struck by rollercoaster lost brother months earlier, as family reportedly consider legal action
10 October 2022, 16:57
An Australian woman who was struck by a rollercoaster after wandering onto the track has been left in a medically induced coma, as it’s revealed her family were already grieving the recent death of her brother.
Shylah Rodden, 26, wandered onto the tracks of the Rebel Coaster at the Royal Melbourne Show to retrieve her mobile phone, before she was struck by the oncoming coaster carriage.
The accident, which took place in Melbourne on September 25, saw Ms Rodden thrown into the air by the force of the impact, before falling nine-metres to the ground below.
Sustaining broken arms, legs, feet and a serious head injury as a result of the accident, Ms Rodden’s family told Australian news outlet 7NEWS that their daughter had undergone surgery but remains in an induced coma with a brain injury.
It’s reported that Ms Rodden’s condition has been downgraded from critical to serious, Royal Melbourne Hospital confirmed last week.
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It comes as social media posts reveal Ms Rodden was grieving the recent death of her brother.
In a social media post seen by Daily Mail Australia dating back to July, Ms Rodden spoke oft the death of her brother, Jason.
“Dad sat me down and told me that my brother had passed away,” she reportedly wrote on July 27.
“He wasn’t just my big brother, he was my best friend, my everything, the person I looked up to and aspired 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.”
Rodden’s family is reportedly now considering legal action against the rollercoaster operators.
A WorkSafe inspection of the rollercoaster that struck Ms Rodden took place shortly after the incident, however, the finalised report deemed the ride safe.
Her family, however, strongly deny the details in the initial investigation according to 7news.
Alan Rodden, Ms Rodden’s father, added his daughter remains in a coma.
“Obviously I can’t talk to my daughter,” he said, speaking to the Mail Online.
“She’s going to be in a coma for quite a while.
“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.”
Following the accident, friends of Ms Rodden’s friends took to social media, posting images and prayers for their friend.
One friend, Ggypo Nawar, tagged Ms Rodden in a post about the accident, asking wellwishers to “make a small prayer” for his friend.
He wrote: “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 in his post.
“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.
He added: “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.”
It comes as Sylvia Dess, a friend of Ms Rodden, set up a Go Fund Me page in honour of her friend “to raise as much money as I can for Shylah” after the “tragic incident”.
