A woman is in critical condition after being hit by a rollercoaster while attempting to 'retrieve a dropped phone' from the tracks, at the Melbourne Royal Show, over the weekend.
Shylah Rodden, 26, was struck by a rollercoaster carriage going at around 70 km/h, reported the Australian news outlet 9 News. Eye witnesses told them that she was carried nine meters into the air, before falling back onto the ground.
The victim was transported to the Royal Melbourne hospital, where she was treated for critical injuries to her head and face, according to a statement by the Melbourne Royal Show.
The statement, posted to Instagram, also confirmed that the ride in question, The Rebel Coaster "will be closed for the foreseeable future, and updates will be made as information comes to hand."
"It's a very tight-knit show community … and everyone is totally devastated," Melbourne Royal chief executive, Brad Jenkins said on a radio broadcast.
"The show is about putting smiles on people's faces, and tragedies like this are just devastating for everyone involved."
Although the ride will stay shut, the Melbourne Royal Show, which is due to go on until Sunday, October 2, will remain open.
Statement from the organizers. Melbourne Royal Show | Instagram
The victim's father, Alan Rodden told Daily Mail that his daughter's injuries "are horrific."
"She's brain-damaged. It's pelvic, her arms, legs, back, neck - there's hardly a thing that's not broken," her dad continued.
Some sense of mystery surrounds the incident, according to him. "There are a lot of stories going around and I don't know which one is true and if someone is covering their tracks," he said.
The report also suggests that Shylah was working at the park and went to help a friend out at a stall on the day of the incident.
During her break, she decided to go on a few rides with a coworker, which is when the tragedy occurred.
An onlooker, who claims to have seen the incident, posted a short clip from the scene on TikTok.
"We're still traumatised, and our hearts are with her loved ones. We were a group of four standing in line for the escape room, which is next to the roller coaster," the TikToker posted.
"Three of us were facing and looking towards the roller coaster and watching the ride while chatting; suddenly, we saw the roller coaster stop," they continued.
"As this had occurred, we saw limbs in the air from the right side of the carriage, and then body fell and slammed onto the concrete in front of us. Her body was a few steps away from us with only a metal fence between us."
The passengers on the ride ended up remaining on the ride carriage for hours after the incident, according to aforementioned reports.
This isn't the first tragedy to strike the Rodden family this year.
A social media post, from earlier this summer, revealed that Shylah had lost her older brother recently.
As of Monday, she remains in a coma. Local outlets reported that a vigil was conducted by her bedside as she fights for her life.