The young woman struck and catastrophically injured by a rollercoaster at the Royal Melbourne Show is now in a stable condition after her family had feared for the worst.
Shylah Rodden suffered horrific injuries to her head, pelvis, arms, legs and back after she was hit by the Rebel Coaster carriage travelling up to 70km per hour on September 25.
The impact threw the 26-year-old nine metres into the air after it was believed she tried to retrieve her phone.
Since the collision, Ms Rodden had been kept in a medically induced a coma at Royal Melbourne Hospital.
However, the hospital has today said she is now in a stable condition
A person close to Ms Rodden on Wednesday told news.com.au that the victim was “still not out of the woods”.
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Ms Rodden’s condition was downgraded from critical to serious on October 11.
It came after her family were, shortly after the accident, given slim hope of her recovering, with doctors at the time telling her parents they “haven’t seen anything as bad as this for a long time”.
“Obviously I can’t talk to my daughter. She’s going to be in a coma for quite a while,” Ms Rodden’s dad, Alan Rodden, told Daily Mail.
“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.”
A video of the incident showed Ms Rodden, who was working at the show the day of the accident, inside the safety rail of the ride before the coaster hit and dragged her.
Her relative told news.com.au the aftermath of the incident had been “tough” on the family but her mum, Kylie Rodden, was resilient.
“It’s tough but my darling cousin Ky is a strong lady,” they said.
Following the tragedy, Chair of the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, Naomi Kemp, said Ms Rodden should not be blamed for what happened to her.
Ms Kemp said organisers behind theme park rides needed to consider the barriers and fencing which ensured members of the public couldn’t enter a prohibited space.
“We not only have to think about the safety of the ride but also the safety area around the ride that it’s operating in,” she said.
While she stressed neither Ms Rodden or the ride operators should be blamed, she hoped the incident would lead to change.
WorkSafe is investigating circumstances surrounding the tragedy with the assistance of detectives from the Yarra Crime Investigation Unit.
The ride was closed for a few days following the incident while compliance checks were made.
Investigations confirmed there were no technical problems with the rollercoaster.
“Strict safety protocols are upheld in line with Victorian WorkSafe regulations,” a statement from the Royal Melbourne Show said at the time.
“All rides on site have undergone stringent compliance inspections and have passed all the required safety documentation.”
A GoFundMe has been established to support the family through Ms Rodden’s extensive treatment.