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The woman who was hit by a rollercoaster at the Royal Melbourne Show is now in stable condition.
There's a glimmer of hope for Shylah Rodden, who has spent the past two months in a medically induced coma after suffering 'horrific' injuries from the incident.
9News reported that the 26-year-old, who was working that day, was hit and hurled by a Rebel Coaster carriage traveling up to 43.4 miles per hour (70km per hour) on September 25.
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The news outlet says Shylah had dropped her phone while on the rollercoaster and she tried to retrieve it.
She was then hit and dragged upwards by the carriage and fell from around 29.5 feet (nine meters).
The young woman suffered injuries to her head, pelvis, arms, legs and back.
However, the hospital has confirmed that Shylah is now in stable condition, as per The Herald Sun.
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It comes after her condition moved from ‘critical’ to ‘serious’ on October 11, according to the outlet.
But a person close to Shylah told news.com.au that she is not entirely ‘out of the woods’.
Her father, Alan Rodden, who, alongside her family, is standing beside Shylah in the hospital hoping she’ll one day recognize her loved ones, said she is ‘plodding along’ and ‘will be all right’, according to the Herald Sun.
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Following the incident, he told Daily Mail: “Obviously I can’t talk to my daughter. She’s going to be in a coma for quite a while.
“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. I just can’t work out how the hell so much damage has been done.”
While speaking to news.com.au, Chair of the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, Naomi Kemp, said Shylah was not to blame for the accident and event organizers need to consider implementing more barriers for patrons when they enter prohibited areas.
“In this scenario it’s actually not the operation of the ride itself that was unsafe but the impact of a pedestrian,” she said.
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“We not only have to think about the safety of the ride but also the safety area around the ride that it’s operating in.”
She added: “Ride operators need to go through the process of ‘have we got the all clear to operate?’ and ‘is the zone clear?’”
WorkSafe is currently investigating the incident with the assistance of detectives from the Yarra Crime Investigation Unit.
Charisa Bossinakis