Shylah Rodden: Woman who was struck by rollercoaster is unable to talk after waking up from induced coma
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: A woman who was put into an induced coma after being struck by a rollercoaster is now awake but unable to interact with her distraught family months after the tragic accident. Shylah Rodden, who was trying to pick up her phone which she had dropped at the Melbourne Royal Show on September 24 was thrown nine metres into the air when she was struck by the rollercoaster, will require years of rehabilitation after suffering a severe brain injury.
Shylah's health has been classed as stable, according to hospital workers. Since the accident, the 26-year-old has been kept at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a medically induced coma. Shylah's status has changed from critical to serious at the hospital, but her distraught family were still very concerned about her condition.
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"She had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury so if that’s what people think is stable they are wrong," Shylah's younger sister Caisha Rodden said to Daily Mail Australia. "Just because she’s awake doesn’t mean she's stable," she added. Shylah's vital signs have reportedly reached normal levels, enabling her to transition from a high dependency ward to a standard ward.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to pay for her medical expenses. It has so far got contributions amounting to more than $18,000. Although Shylah's condition has steadily improved, the full extent of her injuries is yet unknown. There are concerns that she could never be able to talk, and the chances of her leading a normal life again are slim to nonexistent.
Alan Rodden, Shylah's father, informed shortly after the tragedy that his daughter had sustained injuries that would change 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. 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," he added.
Shylah had been working at a friend's stall at the Melbourne Royal Show the day she was hit by the rollercoaster. Her friends made the decision to go on a couple of rides to pass the time while they were on a break. The police suspect Shylah climbed onto the rollercoaster's tracks to grab her phone after she dropped it while she was riding it earlier. WorkSafe, a safety watchdog, is reportedly looking into what the ride's operators were doing when Shylah got onto the tracks.
According to the police, the rollercoaster was moving at 43 mph (70 km/h) when she was struck. A representative for the Melbourne Royal Show said, "the safety and well-being of our visitors to the show continues to be our number one priority." The rollercoaster that injured her had reopened just a few days before the accident.
