The man who filmed the horrific moment a young woman was struck by a rollercoaster in Melbourne has spoken about what really happened and revealed the ongoing effects of witnessing the tragedy.
The video, which the Herald has chosen not to publish, showed Shylah Rodden, 26, being hit by the Rebel Coaster at the Melbourne Royal Show as she tried to retrieve her phone from the track.
Jordan, who did not use his surname, told 7News he was filming the ride because his partner and sister were on board, in the front carriage.
He was recording them as they came around the loop-the-loop, where they struck Rodden, pushing the young woman up the track at speed before flinging her off to the ground below.
The video shows Rodden on the track moments before the carriage hits her.
Rodden remains in critical condition at Royal Melbourne Hospital after the Sunday evening accident.
Jordan told the news outlet he "hasn't slept" since and revealed what happened in the lead-up to the collision.
He said he saw something drop from one of the rides while he waited for his sister and partner to take their turn on the ride before watching as a woman tried to access a restricted area.
"We saw a lady in an area where she shouldn't be. A worker told her to get away but we couldn't hear the whole conversation, she just told her not to be there. That person started to walk away and I didn't think much of it," he said.
Then, as he prepared to watch his sister and partner, he turned on his camera - and captured the sickening footage.
"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***, my sister, my partner."
Shylah Rodden remains in a critical condition. Photo / Supplied
He said that they told him that it appeared that someone had thrown themselves in front of their carriage, but Jordan's video showed the moment more clearly.
"But you can see she'd bent down to pick something up. I don't know if it was a phone or what, but she was so fixated on picking it up that she didn't even see the ride at all," he said, revealing that she was silent as she was hit.
"I didn't hear her scream," he said.
"The screams that I heard came from onlookers, I think. It happened so fast."
Shylah Rodden's father told the Herald Sun earlier this week that his daughter was "plodding along" and "will be all right", despite suffering broken legs, pelvis, ribs, arms and brain damage.
A Melbourne Royal Show spokesman said WorkSafe has finalised an inspection report, declaring the ride safe to be reopened.
"The safety and wellbeing of our visitors to the show continues to be our number one priority," the spokesman said.
"We uphold strict safety protocols in line with Victorian WorkSafe regulations and all rides on site have undergone stringent compliance inspections.
