Family of Melbourne rollercoaster victim Shylah Rodden slam decision to RE-OPEN the ride

The family of a young woman who suffered “horrific” injuries in a roller coaster accident has branded the decision to reopen the ride as “shameful”.

Shylah Rodden, 26, remains in intensive care after falling 30 feet in the mysterious accident at the Melbourne Royal Show on Sunday.

On Tuesday, a WorkSafe inspection concluded the ride was “safe,” allowing operators to reopen it to the public.

Shylah’s sister Caisha Rodden, who stays at the bedside alongside concerned relatives, summed up her family’s horror at the decision in one word.

“Shameful,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

Shaylah remains in critical condition with horrific injuries after police claimed she walked on the tracks to retrieve a cell phone.

Her distraught sister told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that her family was unclear about Shaylah’s chances of recovery.

“We don’t know (the) possibilities and opportunities at this stage,” she said.

Show spokeswoman Katie Scanlan told Daily Mail Australia that WorkSafe had prepared an inspection report saying the ride was safe and could be reopened from today.

“The safety and well-being of our visitors to the show remains our number one priority,” she said in a statement.

“Strict safety protocols are enforced in line with Victorian WorkSafe regulations. All on-site rides have undergone rigorous compliance inspections and have passed all required safety documentation.”

Daily Mail Australia asked organizers to reveal any new procedures, requirements or improvements the security watchdog may have issued.

They were questions Show management refused to answer.

Video obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows passengers clearly hanging from their belongings while riding the roller coaster, which travels completely upside down.

Access to the tracks was also found to be restricted by a short fence.

The Melbourne Royal Show will remain open through Sunday.

The news that the roller coaster has returned to action has led to even more despicable online abuse being hurled at the seriously injured woman.

Within minutes of reporting, more than 140 comments appeared under one article post.

“They can’t blame anyone but the lady who got hurt. It was her choice to try and retrieve it while the ride was still running,” one person wrote.

“And so it would have to open again, why even try to reach for your phone while the roller coaster was in use. Stupid mistake by the girl,” wrote another woman.

It is the latest in a barrage of online criticism that has coolly blamed Shylah for the tragedy after police claimed she was hit while trying to retrieve her cell phone.

Many of the comments are so cruel that Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to publish them.

Caisha said the rumors spread online caused even more pain to her family who were struggling to cope.

“Absolutely misinformation about the accident, which is really sad and causes more suffering for our family,” she said.

“Shylah is in critical condition and we won’t know more until later in the day as we will talk to the police and make some eyewitness statements.”

Her father, Alan Rodden, said a mystery still shrouds how Shylah was hit.

“There are a lot of stories going around and I don’t know which one is true or if anyone is covering their tracks,” he said.

On Monday, police claimed that Shylah was hit by the ride at the Royal Melbourne Show while trying to get her mobile phone off the tracks and hit by the ride traveling at about 70km/h.

Shocked families watched as chaos unfolded in The Rebel Coaster on Sunday, with paramedics treating Shylah at the scene for serious facial injuries before taking her to hospital in critical condition.

Rodden said his daughter suffered life-changing injuries.

‘Of course I can’t talk to my daughter. She will be in a coma for quite some time,” he said.

“The injuries are terrible. Awful. She has brain damage. It’s the pelvis, her arms, legs, back, neck – there’s almost nothing that isn’t broken. I just don’t understand how the hell so much damage was done.

“Even the doctors have said they haven’t seen this much in ages.”

Caisha revealed that her sister had worked on the show.

“Shylah was actually working there. She was helping her boyfriend at her booth that day and she was sent on a break with another employee and they decided to take a few rides to pass the time and unfortunately this happened,” she said.

While police allege that Shylah tried to get hold of her phone, some eyewitnesses claim she was aboard the roller coaster, which somehow untied her up to 30 feet (9 meters) high before plunging to the ground.

“She flew off the ride, loud bang. Followed by a scream and a very loud bang from her hitting the ground,” an eyewitness said on social media.

“I was standing right next to it when it happened. Poor girl lying in a big pool of blood because the medical response was so slow!’

“My daughter was there too and they called Crimestoppers because they felt like she had fallen off the ride too,” wrote another person.

Passengers on the ride were stranded on the roller coaster for hours after the ride was shut down.

A witness, who had sat next to the roller coaster, claimed that the police’s claims that she had been on the track were incorrect.

“I didn’t see her walking or climbing the tracks at all, we saw her flying from the ride, where she landed and how she landed doesn’t match getting hit,” one woman claimed.

“Not from what we’ve seen. We were right next to the ride when it happened.’

Shortly before the accident, the witness had taken her son on the ride.

“We saw her fall off the ride, (heard) the scream and crack of her hitting the ground. My husband was one of the first on the scene. We were right next to it when it happened,” she said.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact police.