Melbourne rollercoaster victim Shylah Rodden was struggling to cope with the loss of her brother when she was struck by the Rebel Coaster travelling an estimated 70km/h, one of her friends has revealed.
The 26-year-old’s friend Ggypo Nawar appealed for prayers in a post to Facebook last week following the tragedy, that unfolded at the Royal Melbourne Show on September 25.
Ms Rodden suffered broken bones and a brain injury after being struck by a carriage, and has remained in an induced coma in hospital.
“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.
“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.”
He added Ms Rodden was someone who “would always try to cheer up anyone who was upset” and would go without to “help others”.
“Every day since everyone started [their] prayers Shylah has improved.”
Ms Rodden’s condition has been downgraded from critical to serious, Royal Melbourne Hospital confirmed last week.
Her friends set up a GoFundMe page with the aim of raising $20,000 to help her with her lengthy recovery. It has raised just over $10,000.
The fundraiser was set up by Ms Rodden’s mate Sylvia Dess, who said she wanted “to raised as much money as I can for Shylah” after the “tragic incident”.
She is believed to have walked on to the rollercoaster tracks to retrieve her phone after it fell from her pocket, with eyewitnesses saying she appeared “fixated” by something on the ground.
Graphic footage of the incident was uploaded to TikTok, showing Ms Rodden being dragged 9m into the air before plummeting to the ground.
The man who captured the vision said he was filming his sister and partner on the ride when he accidentally caught the tragic incident on his camera.
“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 7 News.
“But you can see she’d bent down to pick something up. I don’t know if it was a phone or what, but she was so fixated on picking it up that she didn’t even see the ride at all.”
Her family remain with her in hospital, including her father Alan, who has barely left his daughter’s bedside.
The Rebel Coaster reopened on Tuesday after WorkSafe finalised an inspection report and declared it safe to operate.
“It appears at this early stage the woman, believed aged in her 20s, may have walked on and entered the track to try and retrieve a dropped phone before she was hit by a rollercoaster carriage, about 5.45pm,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
“The safety and wellbeing of our visitors to the show continues to be our number one priority,” a Melbourne Royal Show spokesperson said.
“We uphold strict safety protocols in line with Victorian WorkSafe regulations and all rides on site have undergone stringent compliance inspections.
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“No ride is turned on until it has passed all the required safety and compliance documentation.”
Ms Rodden’s family is considering legal action against the rollercoaster operators.
She previously survived a serious car crash and is also pursuing legal action over that incident.
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