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Tragic roller coaster victim Shylah Rodden will spend Christmas in hospital as her long road to recovery stretches into the New Year.
Shylah remains bedridden at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she has been recovering since a roller coaster crashed into her at the Melbourne Royal Show on September 24.
Hospital staff told Daily Mail Australia that Shylah remained in stable condition after being brought out of a medically induced coma last month.
Shylah Rodden faces a long battle to recover after being hit by a roller coaster in September
Horrific footage shows Shylah Rodden (pictured in black) moments before being pummeled by the Rebel Coaster at the Melbourne Royal show on September 24.
Shylah’s devastated family have held a vigil at the hospital bedside, which has become a second home to them.
The 26-year-old faces years of rehabilitation after suffering a massive brain injury when she was thrown thirty feet into the air by fast travel while trying to retrieve a dropped phone.
Shylah’s father, Alan Rodden, told Daily Mail Australia shortly after the incident that his daughter had sustained life-changing injuries.
‘I can’t talk to my daughter. She is going to be in a coma for quite some time,” she said.
The wounds are horrible. Horrific. She has brain damage. It is the pelvis, the arms, the legs, the back, the neck; there is almost nothing that is not broken. I just can’t understand how the hell so much damage has been done.
Even the doctors have said that they haven’t seen anything as bad as this in a long time.
While Shylah’s condition is classified as stable, close friends have told Daily Mail Australia that she remains trapped in her body, unable to communicate with anyone.
Her supportive family remains committed to caring for her when she is finally released from the hospital.
But for now, they will be forced to spend an uncertain Christmas at Shylah’s side.
The Rodden family has endured a nightmarish end in 2022, made worse by a violent public reaction to Shylah’s accident.
Trolls have mercilessly added to the family’s grief, and people continue to criticize Shylah’s actions after every single article about her is published.
So vile has the abuse been, that a video of Shylah being hit by the roller coaster went viral after being posted on TikTok accompanied by ridiculous music.
Last month, a family member again criticized Shylah’s situation.
“Most of them are heartless people who just want to do their bit and say nasty things,” the family member claimed.
A GoFundMe The fundraiser set up to help with Shylah’s recovery has now raised over $22,000 and remains open despite reaching its goal of $20,000.
Money is just a drop in the ocean of what it will take to keep Shylah comfortable for the rest of her life.
A friend in close contact with Shylah and her family told Daily Mail Australia that the money raised from the fundraiser would go towards helping Shylah on the long road to recovery.
“People have the impression that this money is only for their family. But people need to know that this money is for Shylah’s recovery,” the friend said.
“This money will go towards their therapy, their rehabilitation, the things they need to change around the house for shower and bathroom needs.”
A Melbourne Royal Show spokeswoman said the “safety and well-being of our show guests remain our number one priority” (Royal Melbourne Show pictured)
Questions about the height of the fences around the attraction (pictured) remain unanswered by show management.
The day the roller coaster hit her, Shylah was working at a friend’s booth at the Melbourne Royal Show.
The couple had been on a break when they decided to go for a few walks to kill time.
Shylah is understood to have dropped her phone while on the roller coaster and police believe she walked on the tracks of the high-speed ride to retrieve the device.
Government sources told Daily Mail Australia last month that whatever prompted Shylah to jump onto the tracks was not a safety watchdog concern.
WorkSafe is understood to be investigating what the ride operators were doing when Shylah headed onto the tracks.
“Their toxicity levels are not relevant to the investigation into whether the duty bearer was doing everything reasonably possible to provide a safe and healthy workplace,” a source told Daily Mail Australia.
A WorkSafe inspection concluded that The Rebel Coaster was ‘safe’ to reopen just days after the accident, allowing operators to reopen the ride to the public.
The move was criticized at the time by Shylah’s family, calling it “shameful”.
A spokeswoman for the Melbourne Royal Show told Daily Mail Australia at the time that WorkSafe had declared it safe to reopen the ride.
“The safety and well-being of our fairgoers remains our number one priority,” it said in a statement.
‘Strict security protocols are maintained in accordance with Victorian WorkSafe standards. All on-site attractions have undergone strict compliance inspections and have passed all required safety documentation.
A passenger on the ride can be seen jumping with her bag.
Daily Mail Australia asked organizers to disclose what, if any, new procedures, requirements or notices of improvement the safety watchdog has issued.
Show management declined to respond.
Video obtained by Daily Mail Australia showed passengers clearly holding on to their belongings as they rode the roller coaster, which is riding completely upside down.
Access to the slopes also appeared to be restricted by a short fence.
WorkSafe confirmed that its investigation was ongoing.
Shylah Rodden is on her way to recovery after being thrown thirty feet into the air when she was hit by a roller coaster at the Royal Melbourne Show.
Shylah Rodden’s sister (pictured) said she had a long road ahead of her in recovery and was still unable to communicate with her loved ones.