Man who filmed rollercoaster incident opens up
A traumatised witness of the rollercoaster accident at Melbourne's Royal Show has spoken out about the moment Shylah Rodden was struck by the ride.
Jordan was filming his sister and his partner having fun on the Rebel Coaster ride on Sunday when he captured the tragic moment the 26-year-old was hit by the rollercoaster travelling up to 70km/h.
Jordan said he "hasn't slept since" witnessing the horrific accident, as he saw Shylah get dragged halfway up the ride's next loop before falling nine metres to the ground.
He said he watched Shylah walk to the track and bend down to retrieve something, all without noticing the rollercoaster hurtling towards her.
"It all happened so quickly but so slowly. All of a sudden, I saw someone getting taken up but at the same time I'm thinking 'f**k, my sister, my partner'," he told 7News.
Ms Rodden remains in a coma with "horrific" facial injuries her family has described as "life-changing".
However, the thing that surprised Jordan was how Ms Rodden reacted immediately after she was hit.
"I didn't hear her scream. The screams that I heard came from onlookers, I think. It happened so fast," he said.
Shylah's father told Daily Mail Australia he suspects his daughter will be in a coma for a long time, as she battles to overcome her injuries.
“Obviously I can't talk to my daughter. She's going to be in a coma for quite a while,” Mr Rodden said.
“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. Even the doctors have said they haven't seen anything as bad as this for a long time.”
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