Shylah Rodden: First pictures of rollercoaster victim in hospital after showground horror – and how she looks now – as her mother gives a heartbreaking update on her recovery

The mother of rollercoaster victim Shylah Rodden has given a rare update on her daughter’s recovery after the young woman’s horrific accident shocked the world.

In a photo released in Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday, Ms Rodden is seen smiling brightly as she sits in a cafe.

Ms Rodden, then 26, was seriously injured after being struck by the Rebel Coaster as she walked onto the tracks to retrieve her phone at the Melbourne Royal Show.

Shocking footage of the incident was later posted on social media and became global news.

Another photo released by Ms Rodden’s family shows Ms Rodden fighting for her life in hospital in the days following the incident in September 2022.

The disturbing photo shows Mrs Rodden wearing a neck brace and a tube down her throat.

There are also several injuries visible on her face, including a black eye and a large cut on her forehead.

The third photo shows Mrs. Rodden with short hair, shortly after the accident.

The photos were released a day after Daily Mail Australia reported that WorkSafe Victoria had decided not to press charges against the ride operator or the Melbourne Royal Show.

Kylie Rodden, Mrs Rodden’s mother, said her daughter, now 28, could walk and talk but was still blind in her right eye and deaf in her left ear.

“She has made progress, but she still has a long way to go,” she told the Herald Sun.

‘Sometimes she needs the support of a walker and a wheelchair. She can only walk for a limited time before she has to rest.’

WorkSafe’s decision came as a shock to Mrs Rodden’s family, who had already been informed of the decision by letter.

“I don’t know what happened, I haven’t seen any reports, so I’m not at peace with it,” Rodden said.

Sharlene Mehta, a lawyer at Arnold Thomas & Becker representing Rodden’s family, told Daily Mail Australia they were “understandably disappointed” to hear the WorkSafe investigation had concluded.

“At this stage, we have only received a letter from WorkSafe stating that their investigation has been completed and they have decided not to prosecute the ride operator,” Ms Mehta said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ms Rodden’s family remains in the dark about the decisions that led to the nearly two-year investigation coming to nothing.

“We have not received a copy of the WorkSafe report and therefore do not know what their investigation entailed or who was interviewed as part of their investigation,” Ms Mehta said.

It was further revealed that WorkSafe did not interview Ms Rodden or her family members about the incident.

“We have requested a copy of the findings of the investigation, but it will take six to eight months to receive them. Until then, we have little information about their findings,” Mehta said.

‘The letter our client received outlined the option of asking WorkSafe to reconsider its decision and conduct further investigations.

‘No further information has been provided. Once we have received a copy of WorkSafe’s findings, we will decide whether to make such a request to WorkSafe.’

Ms Mehta said that while the incident had had far-reaching consequences for Ms Rodden, her expectations for the future remained positive.

“While her recovery is miraculous, Shylah’s injuries will affect her for the rest of her life,” she said.

The decision on WorkSafe was reportedly in the hands of lawyers who had to assess whether the charges could be successfully pursued in court.

Decisions on whether to commence a prosecution are made and authorised by WorkSafe’s Director of Health and Safety, using delegated powers and on the basis of legal advice.

The Royal Melbourne Show declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

Sources told Daily Mail Australia that Worksafe staff have conducted an extensive investigation into the incident.

Much of that research was focused on establishing whether there has been a violation of the obligations under the Working Conditions Act.

‘Enforcement decisions must take into account WorkSafe’s general prosecution guidelines, which require consideration of the evidence available, the specific elements that must be proven to succeed in a prosecution and the burden of proof that applies in criminal proceedings,’ a source close to the inquiry said.

WorkSafe’s investigation reportedly failed to produce sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there had been breaches of the OHS Act.

Mrs Rodden faces years of rehabilitation after suffering serious brain injuries when she was thrown thirty feet into the air by the fast-moving ride.

She was hit when she tried to pick up a mobile phone that she had dropped on the tracks.

Under Victorian law, WorkSafe has two years to bring charges against companies and individuals it believes have breached the state’s strict employment laws.

Although the results of the toxicology report at the time of the accident have never been made public, police sources have suggested that Mrs Rodden may have been under the influence of some form of medication.

Another reliable source said that the reason why Ms Rodden jumped onto the tracks was not a concern of the safety authority, which was concerned only with whether precautions had been taken and whether they were being followed.

WorkSafe’s investigation is believed to have focused on what the ride’s operators were doing when she ended up on the tracks.

“Her toxicity levels are not relevant to the investigation into whether the person responsible did everything reasonably possible to create a safe and healthy workplace,” the source said.

A WorkSafe inspection found the Rebel Coaster was ‘safe’ to reopen, just days after the accident.

A Show spokeswoman, who asked not to be named, defended the network’s safety procedures at the time of the incident.

“The safety and well-being of our showgoers remains our highest priority,” she said in a statement at the time.

‘Strict safety protocols are maintained in accordance with Victorian WorkSafe regulations. All on-site journeys have undergone rigorous compliance inspections and have passed all required safety documentation.’

Mrs Rodden’s discharge from hospital in January last year and her return to her family home in Craigieburn was seen as a significant step on her long road to recovery.

However, a spokesman for her legal team said in January of that year that Mrs Rodden would never fully recover.

“While this indicates her condition has stabilised, the injuries she sustained are still life-changing,” it said at the time.

Her father Alan Rodden told Daily Mail Australia shortly after the incident that his daughter had suffered life-changing injuries.

“I can’t talk to my daughter. She’ll be in a coma for a while,” he said.

“The injuries are terrible. Horrible. She has brain damage. It’s her pelvis, her arms, legs, back, neck – there’s almost nothing that’s not broken. I just can’t understand how on earth so much damage was done.

‘Even the doctors say they haven’t seen anything this bad in a long time.’

On the day she was hit by the roller coaster, Mrs Rodden was working at a friend’s stall at the Melbourne Royal Show.

The couple had a break and decided to go for a few rides to pass the time.

She is believed to have dropped her phone on the roller coaster and police suspect she walked onto the track of the high-speed track to retrieve the device.

Shocking footage of the incident was shared on TikTok days after the incident.