Shylah Rodden out of danger as family targets brother's friend in legal action on 2018 crash injuries
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: A Melbourne woman who suffered life-threatening injuries after a roller coaster accident at the Royal Melbourne Show has finally shown some signs of recovery.
Shylah Rodden was dragged 30ft and thrown into the air by the Rebel Coaster in Melbourne on Sunday, September 25. So far, it has been established that Rodden walked onto a section of the 350m-long track to retrieve her phone and tragically got struck by the ride. On Tuesday, a representative of the Royal Melbourne Hospital confirmed that Shylah’s condition is now “serious” rather than critical.
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The good news from the medical experts came amid the revelation that the man caught up in civil proceedings with Shylah is known to her. On Friday, September 30, the family of the 26-year-old rollercoaster victim launched legal action at the Victorian County Court for injuries she sustained from a road accident in January 2018. This accident was one of the three tragedies she suffered before the roller coaster incident. She was involved in a serious car crash in February 2019 and flipped her car after hitting a truck in January 2021.
As per a report by Daily Mail Australia, Lalor man Anthony Bright is the person identified as the defendant in the civil action taken by Rodden’s family. The victim’s family filed a writ claiming damages for injuries suffered by Shylah in a transport accident in 2018, as a result of the "negligence of Mr Bright, on or about January 29 that year."
It also emerged that Shylah and Bright had known each other for a long time. The two were seen sharing a comfortable space in a picture shared in 2015. The image was also liked by another member of the Rodden family. Besides, a look at Bright’s friend list reveals that he was a close friend of Shylah’s brother Jason, who died just two months before the rollercoaster incident. The report does not suggest Bright did anything wrong, only that he is listed as a defendant in the civil proceedings.
At the time the writ was filed, Arnold Thomas and Becker practice manager Aki Munir told the Herald Sun, "It (the action) involves a transport accident and she sustained some significant injuries in that accident." The purpose of filing the writ is to preserve her entitlements, "should anything happen to her."
Munir also revealed that there are chances that the Rodden Family will pursue legal action against the Melbourne Royal Show and the operators of the Rebel Coaster ride for negligence.
Devastated by the accident, Shylah’s father told Daily Mail Australia, "I can't talk to my daughter. She's going to be in a coma for quite a while." He added. "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."