Tragic rollercoaster victim Shylah Rodden allegedly angrily lashed out at ride operators who warned her not to retrieve her phone moments before she was hit.
Ms Rodden, then 26, suffered serious injuries after being hit by the Rebel Coaster as she walked onto the tracks to retrieve her phone at the Melbourne Royal Show in 2022.
On Monday, after nearly two years of investigation, workplace watchdog WorkSafe Victoria decided not to bring charges against the ride operator or the Melbourne Royal Show.
The move sparked an angry reaction from Shylah’s mother, Kylie Rodden, who launched a media campaign the following day to criticise the workplace authority.
But Daily Mail Australia can now reveal the disturbing chain of events that ended with Ms Rodden being hit by the rollercoaster.
Well-placed sources closely associated with the investigation told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Rodden was found to be the key cause of the tragedy.
Ms Rodden had previously been working at a candy stand at the exhibition when she and a friend went on the roller coaster during a break.
Witnesses are believed to have told Worksafe investigators that Ms Rodden appeared disorientated when she dropped her phone and attempted to retrieve it from beneath the tracks.
Shylah Rodden before the shocking incident in 2022
Shylah Rodden in hospital. The ride operator was cleared of any wrongdoing
Shylah Rodden (pictured in black) seconds away from disaster
The source claims the ride operators told Ms Rodden they would stop the ride to allow her to retrieve her phone, but she would have to wait up to 30 minutes before being able to access the area.
“It’s fair to say she had a few words to say to the operator when he told her to wait half an hour, so that was the kind of behaviour the operator was dealing with,” the source said.
“She really didn’t want to wait and made the decision not to.”
The investigation is believed to have found that operators had taken every precaution to ensure the safety of show-goers.
“They did all of that. They followed their systems, they followed the processes that they had in place,” the source said.
‘The workers there followed their training as they were told and that is where the obligations lie.
‘That’s where the charges that the authority could bring are and they have nothing to do with any decision that a person may have made to circumvent those systems and processes that were established by the (operator).’
The tour operator was already familiar with such processes, given the number of items that are routinely discarded from the trip, the source said.
This system does not see that the trip stops every time a customer notifies the operator.
“With a roller coaster, that kind of thing happens all the time,” they added.
‘Things fall out of people’s pockets literally every time the tour goes on, so they have a system in place to ensure that when things do fall, people can retrieve them.
‘They continue the journey because they can’t stop every time, otherwise they would do it all day, every day.
“They set times to close and let people pick up their things. (But) she decided not to wait and ended up suffering the consequences.”
On Wednesday, Arnold Thomas & Becker lawyer Sharlene Mehta, who represents Ms Rodden’s family, told Daily Mail Australia she could not respond to the allegations because she had not been provided with the final WorkSafe report.
“As we have not been provided with any information regarding WorkSafe’s investigations relating to Shylah Rodden’s injuries and incident, we are unable to comment on the allegations,” he said.
Shylah Rodden will need lifelong care after being hit by a roller coaster
Shylah Rodden in the weeks following her discharge from the hospital
Ms Mehta told Daily Mail Australia they had been informed of WorkSafe’s decision via a letter.
“We have not received a copy of the WorkSafe report so we have no knowledge of what their investigations covered or who was interviewed as part of their investigations,” Ms Mehta said.
“We have requested a copy of the findings of the investigation, but it will take six to eight months to reach us. Until then, we have little information about its conclusions.
‘The letter our client received outlined the option to request that WorkSafe reconsider its decision and conduct a further investigation.
“No further information has been provided. Once we have received a copy of WorkSafe’s findings, we will decide whether we wish to make such a request to WorkSafe.”
Shylah’s mother and legal guardian, Ms. Rodden, would not reveal details about the circumstances surrounding the accident.
“I’d rather not answer that question. I think in time Shylah will be able to answer it,” he said. Age.
Among the Rodden family’s complaints was an accusation that their daughter was not directly questioned about the incident.
Daily Mail Australia has been told that WorkSafe’s family liaison team remained in close contact with Shylah’s mother throughout the 22-month investigation.
“They were absolutely in touch with Shylah’s family throughout the entire process,” the source said.
‘Obviously Shylah herself, although she can communicate, has designated contacts, including her mother, who has been designated as her guardian.
‘That’s why WorkSafe has to deal with his mother because she has been legally appointed as his guardian and has been kept informed throughout the process.
“I think it’s a little unfair that she says at the end that she only received a letter and nothing else explaining what was happening.”
On Wednesday, Ms Mehta said WorkSafe had contacted Ms Rodden on three occasions, mainly to assign her a family liaison officer who was to check on the welfare of Shylah and the family.
“Ms Rodden said she had regularly contacted WorkSafe herself over the past 22 months to enquire about the progress of the investigation,” she said.
‘They provided him with some brief updates on the timing of the investigation, but never gave him any information about the details or scope of their investigations.’
Shylah Rodden before the tragic incident on the show
Shylah Rodden, most recently seen, was reportedly told to wait for the ride to stop at the scheduled time, but took matters into her own hands.
In accordance with WorkSafe regulatory requirements, its investigations focus solely on workplace risk factors and not accident outcomes.
“There are certain situations where the outcome is irrelevant to their investigations. In this case, WorkSafe was investigating the person responsible and their obligation to do everything within reason to mitigate the risk, so the outcome was essentially irrelevant and not relevant to the investigation,” one source said.
It is understood Shylah’s legal team will need to file a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain a copy of WorkSafe’s investigation report, which it could use to pursue any civil action against the ride operator.
“It’s the only way they’ll be able to get it because it’s not something that’s handed over when an investigation is over, so they can try to get it that way if they want,” one source said.
On Tuesday, Shylah’s mother revealed that her daughter would require full-time medical care despite having made a “miraculous” recovery that now sees her walking and talking.
The Royal Melbourne Show declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.
WorkSafe Victoria did not respond to questions about the matter on Wednesday.
