Expert defends Melbourne rollercoaster victim, Shylah Rodden after horrific accident

A safety expert says the 26-year-old woman who was injured by a rollercoaster while retrieving her phone should not be blamed for her actions.

The head of a leading workplace health and safety organisation said the Melbourne woman who was severely injured after she was hit by a roller coaster while retrieving her phone should not be the one held to blame.

On September 25, the 26-year-old suffered horrific injuries to her head, pelvis, arms, legs and back after she was struck by a Rebel Coaster carriage at the Royal Melbourne Show. It’s believed the ride was travelling up to 70km per hour, with the impact through the Melbourne woman 9m into the air. It’s believed she was trying to receive her phone at the time.

Since the collision, Ms Rodden has remained in a medically induced a coma at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, however on Tuesday her condition was downgraded from critical to serious.

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Shylah Rodden was left with critical injuries after she was hit by a rollercoaster at the Royal Melbourne Show. Picture: Facebook.

Ms Rodden remains in hospital for her injuries. Picture: Facebook.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the Chair of the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, Naomi Kemp said that organisers behind theme park rides must consider the barriers and fencing which ensure members of the public can’t enter the prohibited space.

“In this scenario it’s actually not the operation of the ride itself that was unsafe but the impact of a pedestrian,” she said.

“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.”

Although Ms Kemp stressed the neither Ms Rodden or the ride operators should be blamed, she hoped this incident would lead to process changes.

“Ride operators need to go through the process of ‘have we got the all clear to operate?’ and ‘is the zone clear?’” added Ms Kemp.

“These are what we call administrative controls or rules or processes to manage that last line of defence.”

Ms Rodden can be seen approaching the tracks of the roller coaster ride. Picture: TikTok.

In the seconds after, she was struck by a carriage. Picture: TikTok.

The comments come after a US comedian Anthony Jeselnik mocked Ms Rodden for the incident which landed her in hospital. Speaking to NFL Network analyst Gregg Rosenthal on their podcast The Jeselnik & Rosenthal Vanity Project, Jeselnik said the story was “absolutely hilarious to me”.

“I bet no one could believe it. I bet she feels dumb,” he said.

“It’s bad luck but roller-coasters only go in two directions. It’s hard to get hit by them.

“A car, OK anything could have happened, maybe you’re in the street, maybe the car jumped the kerb.

“A rollercoaster, that’s your fault every single time.”

US comedian Anthony Jeselnik and Gregg Rosenthal, an analyst for the NFL Network, made the inappropriate comments. Picture: YouTube

According to the Herald Sun, Ms Rodden’s family is potentially suing the Melbourne Royal Show for injuries she sustained in a motor vehicle incident four years ago around January 29, 2018. Earlier this month, a writ was filed in the Victorian County Court over the historic incident and claims the injuries were a result of negligence.

Lawyer and practice manager behind Arnold Thomas and Becker, Aki Munir said the writ had been filed to preserve Ms Rodden’s entitlements.

“It (the action) involves a transport accident and she sustained some significant injuries in that accident,” said Ms Munir.

“The purpose of filing the writ is to preserve her entitlements, should anything happen to her.”