A woman hit by a roller coaster remains in a medically induced coma weeks after the shocking incident that could leave her with a lifetime of pain.
A fundraiser set up to help Shylah Rodden has soared to more than $5,000 just hours after Daily Mail Australia revealed it was a paltry $500 until Saturday.
Sources close to Shylah’s family have told Daily Mail Australia the $20,000 sought from GoFundMe will take care of the 26-year-old, who allegedly suffered massive brain damage in the accident.
Shylah Rodden is fighting for her life after being thrown nine meters into the air when she was hit by a slide at the Royal Melbourne Show on Sunday.
Terrifying footage shows Shylah Rodden (pictured in black) moments from being hit by the Rebel Coaster at the Melbourne Royal show on September 24
The true extent of Shylah’s injuries are still unknown, with fears that she may never be able to speak again.
On Tuesday, a Royal Melbourne Hospital spokeswoman confirmed Shylah’s condition was now listed as serious rather than critical.
But her prospects of ever living a normal life again are slim to impossible.
A friend close to Shylah and her family told Daily Mail Australia that the money from the fundraiser would go towards helping Shylah’s long road to recovery.
‘People are under the impression that this money is only for her family. But people need to know that this money is for Shylah’s recovery, the friend said.
“This money will go towards her therapy, her rehab, things they need to change around the house for bathing and toileting.”
The reaction to Shylah’s accident from ‘keyboard warriors’ has shocked her family, who remain on a bedside vigil weeks after the incident.
“People are now commenting and saying horrible things and I just want to make sure the real and true cause of this fundraiser is out there,” the friend said.
The fundraiser, set up by Shylah’s friend Sylvia Dess, was set up days after the accident but had been largely ignored until now.
“Channel 7 said they had a setback because it hadn’t raised a lot of money, but it’s not a setback,” the friend said.
‘Every donation will help, the cost of changing Shylah’s family’s living conditions, her rehab, her therapy – these are all the things they need. This fundraiser is not just for fun.’
Shylah Rodden’s condition is now listed as serious rather than critical
The friend, who asked to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia that Shylah may need constant care for what could be the rest of her life.
“It’s to help her and her family who may need to look after her 24/7,” she said.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Shylah had turned her life around after a troubled few years battling drug addiction
“Shylah is not a drug addict, she’s been in rehab for almost a year,” her friend said.
‘But people are so focused on her previous car accident where she wasn’t even the driver. Her problems were five years ago. People change.’
The cruel commentary on Shylah’s accident has rubbed salt into the wounds of her purged family, who have struggled for years to help Shylah overcome her struggles.
“They’re so terrible,” her friend said of the rolls. ‘It’s like people have nothing better to do.’
It is understood WorkSafe is now investigating what the wheelchair operators were doing when Shylah entered the tracks.
Shylah Rodden (pictured) suffered horrific injuries when she was hit and dragged down a slide
Shylah’s family has expressed gratitude for every cent the fundraiser has already received.
“They don’t care if they don’t get any donations, as long as people know what it’s about and the real reason for it. Not just what other people comment and assume what they’re doing with that money,” she said.
‘They are very very grateful for the amount that has already been raised. People are ultimately very friendly.’
On the day she was hit by the slide, Shylah had been working in a friend’s stall at the Melbourne Royal Show.
The couple had been on a break when they decided to go on a few trips to pass the time.
Rodden (pictured) has been involved in three separate traffic accidents, in 2018, 2019 and 202
It is understood Shylah dropped her phone while on the roller coaster and police believe she walked onto the tracks of the high-speed ride to retrieve the device.
Shocking footage released via a tasteless TikTok video showed immediate impact.
Shylah’s father told Daily Mail Australia at the time his daughter had suffered life-changing injuries.
‘I can’t talk to my daughter. She’s going to be in a coma for a while,” he said.
– The damage is terrible. Terrible. She is brain damaged. It’s the pelvis, her arms, legs, back, neck – there’s hardly a thing that isn’t broken. I just can’t figure out how the hell so much damage was done.
“Even the doctors have said they haven’t seen anything this bad in a long time.”
Police revealed last week that the roller coaster was traveling at 70 km/h when she was hit.
Ms Rodden was involved in three other accidents, including a serious car crash in February 2019, and another where she overturned her car after hitting a lorry in January 2021
Ms Rodden had to learn to walk again after she was involved in a horror crash in January 2021 when she overturned a car on Melbourne’s Western Ring Road after plowing into a lorry and a car.
She was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car onto the road.
The young woman survived the crash but needed significant rehabilitation to get back on her feet and, supported by her supportive parents, managed to walk again.
Her grueling road to recovery came after another serious car accident in 2019.
A Melbourne Royal Show spokeswoman claimed “the safety and well-being of our visitors to the show remains our number one priority”.
Safety watchdog WorkSafe is in the process of determining whether this statement is true.
The slide that hit her reopened a few days after the incident.
Show management declined to comment on whether new safety procedures had been adopted in its wake.
A spokeswoman for the Melbourne Royal Show claimed “the safety and well-being of our visitors to the show remains our number one priority” (pictured, Royal Melbourne Show)