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An American comedy duo has been charged for making fun of an Australian woman who remains in a coma after being hit by a roller coaster.
Anthony Jeselnik and Gregg Rosenthal said the story of how Shylah Rodden was hit by the drive while trying to retrieve her cell phone was “absolutely hilarious,” and the comments sparked outrage from many online.
The 26-year-old Melbourne woman remains in a critical condition in a medically induced coma after being hit by a roller coaster traveling at 70 km/h last month.
Ms Rodden suffered multiple broken bones and severe brain damage in the incident, but this didn’t stop the comedians from laughing at her accident.
Jeselnik laughed during his co-host’s retelling of the tragedy of the Royal Melbourne Show, including reports that the 26-year-old had to learn to walk again after being involved in a horror car accident 18 months earlier.
“A rollercoaster, that’s your fault, every time,” he said in the viral TikTok video.
Anthony Jeselnik (left) and Gregg Rosenthal (right) said the story of how Shylah Rodden was hit by a roller coaster while trying to retrieve her cell phone was “absolutely hilarious”
In January 2021, Ms Rodden threw a car onto Melbourne’s western ring road after being plowed into a truck and car and thrown onto the road for not wearing a seat belt.
Rosenthal told his grinning co-host in the video that has been viewed nearly 600,000 times, “She’s in critical condition after going on a roller coaster.”
“She was trying to retrieve a phone. Rodden had just learned to walk again…’
Mr Rosenthal is forced to stop as his co-host bursts out laughing and continues to laugh as he is told that Ms Rodden had previously been involved in a ‘horrific’ car accident.
“Now you wonder why this is funny to us,” Mr. Jeselnik tells their viewers.
“Walking on a roller coaster is a bad idea. If you drop your cell phone, ask someone who works there to get your phone for you.
People on the ride were stuck in the air for about 45 minutes while the scene was cordoned off
Shylah Rodden, 26, remains in a medically artificial coma after being hit by a roller coaster that went 70km/h at the Royal Melbourne Show
“Don’t jump on the roller coaster rails. She had been hit by a car four years ago and had to undergo physical therapy to learn to walk again.
“To celebrate her learning to walk again, she goes to an amusement park and is immediately hit by a roller coaster.”
Jeselnik said that roller coasters only go in two directions and that he would understand if it was a car, because “anything could have happened.”
“Maybe you’re on the street, maybe the car jumped the curb. Who knows. A roller coaster, that’s your fault, every time,’ he said.
Viewers were divided over the TikTok video’s comments, with some users labeling the skit as “terrible” while others took the opportunity to make jokes.
“I have a dark sense of humor, but wow,” said one user.
At one point in the video, Mr. Rosenthal had to stop while Mr. Jeselnik burst out laughing and continues to laugh while saying that Ms. Rodden had previously been involved in a car accident
American comedians Anthony Jeselnik (left) and Gregg Rosenthal (right) create a podcast called the Jeselnik & Rosenthal Vanity Project
“This is the first time I’ve seen you justify laughing at something,” said another.
“I held my breath and pinched my nostrils at first to keep from laughing. I failed,” remarked a third.
“A roller coaster is your fault every time. I’ll get that done on a t-shirt,” someone said.
“The funniest man in the world has spoken. Take notes folks,” another user shared.
A witness known as Jordan accidentally captured the moment Mrs. Rodden was beaten while filming his family on the Rebel Coaster on September 25.
While waiting to pick up his sister and partner, who were in the front carriage of the ride, he saw a worker talking to a woman in an unauthorized entry area.
Ms Rodden is in a serious but stable condition in a medically induced coma after being struck by the ride at the Royal Melbourne Show on September 25
A witness said he accidentally filmed Ms. Rodden looking down, fixated on picking up the object, as the roller coaster rushed toward her (pictured, the Rebel Coaster)
The worker told the woman to leave, and she started to walk away, but moments later, when he looked back at the ride, he saw Mrs. Rodden at the front of the ride, bending over in the rails to collect something.
Despite the screams of the passengers and the roller coaster charging toward her, Jordan’s footage shows Ms. Rodden looking down, fixated on picking up the object, unaware that she was in danger.
He said onlookers could not prevent Ms Rodden from walking on the tracks and the situation had developed rapidly.
Jordan said those on the ride were trapped in the air for about 45 minutes while the scene was cordoned off, and police spoke to Melbourne Show employees and witnesses.
The day she got spanked, Ms. Rodden was working at a friend’s booth on the show when the couple decided to take a few rides during their break.
She allegedly dropped her phone while on the roller coaster.
Police believe she then walked onto the tracks to retrieve her device, despite taxi drivers telling her they would get it in 20 minutes once the ride stopped.
On the day she was spanked, Ms Rodden was working in a friend’s booth on the show when the pair decided to take a few rides during their break (pictured, The Royal Melbourne Show)
A spokeswoman for the Royal Melbourne Hospital confirmed that Ms Rodden’s condition was now listed as serious rather than critical
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Royal Melbourne Hospital confirmed that Ms. Rodden was now classified as serious rather than critical.
The extent of her injuries is still unclear, with her family – who struggled with the death of her old brother just two months before the incident – braced for the possibility that she might never speak again.
Her grueling road to recovery after being thrown onto the road in a car accident in January 2021 came after another serious car accident in 2019.
A spokeswoman for the Melbourne Royal Show said ‘the safety and well-being of our visitors to the show remains our number one priority’.
Safety watchdog WorkSafe is investigating the incident.