A 26-year-old Australian woman is fighting for her life after being struck by a roller coaster and falling nine metres at a Melbourne fair.
Shylah Rodden was attending the Melbourne Royal Show where it's reported she walked onto a roller coaster track to retrieve her phone and was struck by a moving carriage on Sunday.
7News reports Rodden had been working at the show before she was struck by the roller coaster, throwing her through the air.
One witness told 7News they heard the moment Rodden fell to the ground, describing it as a "big bang".
"All of a sudden [the roller coaster] stopped and jolted almost, and you just saw a body just fall to the ground."
The 26-year-old's father Alan Rodden told the Mail Online his daughter is in a coma.
"Obviously I can't talk to my daughter," he said. "She's going to be in a coma for quite a while."
Alan said his daughter's injuries are "horrific", with damage to her brain, pelvic, her arms, legs, back and neck.
"There's hardly a thing that's not broken."
Alan told the Mail the doctors treating his daughter "haven't seen anything as bad as this for a long time".
"I just can't work out how the hell so much damage has been done."
Meanwhile the CEO of the Melbourne Royal Show Brad Jenkins told 7News it was a "tragic accident".
"From our understanding, there was a mobile phone at the base of the Rebel Coaster that she dropped on the ride and she went back to recover the mobile phone."
"It is an extreme rollercoaster which is a lot of fun generally, but this was a tragic accident that shouldn't have happened," he added.
"It's really devastating."
The ride has since been shut down as officials investigate the incident. Jenkins told 7News that the operator of the ride has decades of experience - and was clear they weren't at fault.
"This is a tragic accident, not a malfunction of a ride," he said.
"I'm confident all of the rides have been signed off by WorkSafe and are safe."
And while Rodden remains in a critical condition, her family have hit back at the "disgusting" comments made about the incident online.
"Serves herself right for going where she is not supposed to be going," said one person.
"It's not a freak accident, when she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be," said another.
Rodden's sister Ciasha has since spoken out addressing the comments.
"It's sad and disgusting to see the false stories and cover up when my sister is fighting for her life," she told the Daily Mail.
