An Australian woman is suffering from critical head and facial injuries after being hit by a rollercoaster carriage in Melbourne on Sunday.
The victim, who has been identified as Shylah Rodden, 26, is believed to have stepped onto the tracks at a Melbourne Royal Show about 5.45 p.m. on Sep. 25 to pick up her dropped phone.
A carriage reportedly struck the woman and carried her up to nine meters high before Rodden fell to the ground.
Shocked witnesses reported hearing screams before the ride was suddenly stopped. Rodden was transported to the hospital in critical condition with broken bones.
Melbourne Royal Show said the area had been cordoned off for the foreseeable future.
“There was a reported injury on the Rebel Coaster ride,” it said in a statement, but noted that they could confirm that no one has fallen from the ride.
Victoria Police said they were attending the scene to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Officers are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, and a crime scene has been established.”
“Sadly, the woman was then found injured on the ground. Detectives from the Yarra Crime Investigation Unit are attending the scene and will work with WorkSafe to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
The victim’s father, Alan Rodden, told the Daily Mail that he was still not certain what to believe about the incident that has left his daughter in a critical condition.
“The injuries are horrific. Horrific. She’s brain-damaged. It’s pelvic, her arms, legs, back, neck - there’s hardly a thing that’s not broken,” he told the Daily Mail.
“I just can’t work out how the hell so much damage has been done. Even the doctors have said they haven’t seen anything as bad as this for a long time.”
A stall owner told the Herald Sun that “the ride went up like normal, then there were screams, then it stopped and stayed that way for ages.”
“Everyone was stuck in the ride for one to two hours ... but the screaming was so loud—I think everyone must have been really scared,” she said.
