An Australian woman who was hit by a rollercoaster - and remains in hospital following the incident - is allegedly due to appear in court on charges of theft this week.
Shylah Rodden was attending the Melbourne Royal Show in September when a rollercoaster plowed into her, leaving her with serious injuries.
She was in a medically-induced coma but is now in stable condition, per The Daily Mail, having suffered a major brain injury after being flung several meters into the air by the rollercoaster, and it's likely that she will require years of rehabilitation.
At the time of the tragic incident, the 26-year-old's father told the outlet that his daughter had suffered life-changing injuries. "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. Even the doctors have said they haven't seen anything as bad as this for a long time."
Sadly, the outlet has revealed that she is "trapped in her own body" and unable to communicate with anyone. A GoFundMe was started to raise funds for Shylah.
"Shylah was involved in a tragic incident at the Royal Melbourne Show on Sunday the 24/9. I would like to raise as much money as I can for Shylah's 24 hour care, rehab, therapy, possible equipment as Shylah has suffered brain injury, changes that will need to be made around her house (shower & toilet.)", the caption on the fundraiser read.
Of the $20,000 goal, the GoFundMe has managed to raise over $27,000.
Shylah is set to appear in court for theft charges relating to events that occurred prior to her devastating accident. However, while Shylah is now awake, she is still unable to speak.
Brad Jenkins, the CEO of the Melbourne Royal Show, stated that the incident was a "tragic accident," via Joe.
"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. Regrettably, she was tragically struck by the cart coming down. It is an extreme rollercoaster which is a lot of fun generally, but this was a tragic accident that shouldn't have happened," he said.
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