Riders go down the worlds tallest water slide named Verruckt at Schlitterbahn Waterpark, in Kansas City, Kansas on July 9, 2014. The whole time youre going down, you can see the net above you where people or the raft had hit it before, Egan said. Caleb Schwab, 10, was decapitated on a water slide in Kansas five years ago ( Image: KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A witness to the tragic death of a 10-year-old boy on the world's tallest water slide in Kansas has revealed gruesome details of how the boy died. For the amusement-ride thrill seeker, Verrckt was a bucket-list experience without rival. RELATED: Water park, ex-employee charged in 10-year-old's 2016 death on ride, Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio said in a statement that considering last week's indictment, the company is not surprised by Henry's arrest. August 2018 76. A reporter peppered Henry, who dreamed up and designed the Verrckt, with questions that have followed the sixty-three-year-old ever since that day in August. The ride used to have a minimum age restriction of 14. The decision to keep the world's tallest water slide closed follows the death of a 10-year-old boy from injuries in a Sunday afternoon accident on the slide. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. The former operations director for Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas, and the water park itself have been charged with manslaughter in the 2016 death of a 10-year-old boy on a water slide. Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website. If General Motors has a fatality, would we say that was a bad investment? he said. Shot of some, at least, of the netting being removed by crews. The magnitude of the project was not lost on at least one installer who had worked on fifteen to twenty projects for Schlitterbahn as part of Henry & Sons Construction, the general contractor owned by Henry that was put in charge of building Verrckt. Though its two highest attended parks, New Braunfels and Galveston, remained in the top ten for U.S. water-park attendance last year, they were both down 3 percent each from their 2016 attendance. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Schlitterbahns arrival was meant to be the final piece of the border puzzle. What started out as a freak accident has turned into a broader conversation about what its going to take for the amusement-park industry, which prides itself on its safety record and confidence to self-regulate, to prevent another Verrckt and Caleb Schwablevel tragedy. All Rights Reserved. Witnesses have described gruesome scenes at a Kansas theme park where a boy, 10, was decapitated when he flew off a waterslide and smashed into the safety net, Witnesses say Caleb flew off the ride at around 50ft from the ground and hit the netting, Kansas Police Department issued the above statement in response to the death of Caleb Schwab on the Verruckt Water slide, The height requirement to ride Verruckt is at least 54 inches tall and riders must be at least 14 years old, according to the park's website. Messages left Monday with Kansas' Labor Department were not immediately returned. Schlitterbahn in Kansas City has been sued for negligence at least three times all in 2014 though none of those legal actions involved the waterslide. It was a Sunday afternoon, August 7 . ] He followed up that same day: I have to micro manage this. I learned everything I know about water by looking at it, watching it, Henry told author Tim OBrien in Legends: Pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry. http://kcur.org/post/young-boy-dies-verr-ckt-worlds-tallest-water-slide-kck#stream/0. It was shocking and tragic when Caleb Schwab, 10, was decapitated on August 17, 2016 on the Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. It was just exhilarating., It was a sentiment echoed by the construction employee, who, after loading the one-hundred-ten-pound sandbags into the rafts for hundreds of test runs, said that he or she wasnt leaving Kansas until I ride this thing. I rode it damn near twenty times in a day and a half, said the installer, who added that the ride, which felt like a freaking freight train, did not feel unsafe. Given that safety is our first priority we have closed our Kansas City park and have closed the ride pending a full investigation. We are saddened to share that a young boy died on Verrckt this afternoon, said Winter Prosapio, corporate director of communications for Schlitterbahn. Police have now released. Schlitterbahn is an important tourist attraction in our community, and we hope it remains open and a success, Taylor told Esquire. Dueas and his friend were egging on his son, Jeffrey, then eleven years old, to join them, but Jeffrey was scared. Kelsey Friedrichsen, a witness who was at the park at the time of the accident, told People; The Verruckt (which is German for "insane") water slide was promoted as the tallest water slide in the world when it opened in June. ), The only time I saw the slide run successfully was on the Travel Channel episode, but I wouldnt even call that successful, said the lifeguard, who was part of a select group of employees present for the taping after the park closed that day. Criminal Murder Charges dropped in Schlitterbahn Waterslide Case where 10-year-old boy was decapitated during a ride at Kansas water park. Prosapio said Sunday that the park's rides are inspected daily and by an 'outside party' before the start of each season. Soon, Derek MacKay, an attorney representing Schlitterbahn, allegedly showed up to the lifeguards home and would later lie to both the lifeguards mother and the detective in an attempt to get a copy of the police report. And now, the Verrckt water slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas, is the site of a horrible accident, in which 10-year-old Caleb Schwab died Sunday. TOPEKA, Kansas -- A water park company's co-owner was arrested Monday in Texas in connection with a Kansas criminal case arising from a 10-year-old boy's death on what was promoted as the world's largest waterslide. For what is your life? She turned around to see what was happening. Would seem to require a harness failure, ejection, and striking the metal supports holding up the netting or some hole in the netting, if the outcome being tweeted is accurate. The driving force behind it was Henry, a high school graduate who spent one week at college and never had any formal training in engineering. Theres a hole in our family, and were learning to live with that.. And then I came back and told my brother and sister. Henry wanted to change that. Its dangerous, but its a safe dangerous now, Henry told USA Today in the lead-up to the opening. The death of a 10-year-old at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas was even more devastating than could have been imagined with witnesses confirming that tragic child Caleb Schwab was decapitated while riding down the 168-foot-tall Verrckt slide! The waters are shallow and lifeguards are seemingly everywhere at the proliferating number of water parks around the U.S. Kansas state Sen. Greg Smith, an Overland Park Republican, said that although state law doesn't specifically address waterslides, it's clear they 'would fall into that category.'. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. During an October 2007 state legislature hearing, Kansas lawmakers pressed Mike Hutfles, a lobbyist with Schlitterbahn, on whether the company would be opposed to pursuing a requirement for safety inspections. But dominating Texas wasnt enough for the Henrys. I always set out to break all the records, he reportedly told USA Today. Schlitterbahn said last week's indictment is "full of false information," and the company also rejected its allegations that Miles and the company withheld information from law enforcement officials. Based on a three-year average of the most recent data, the chance of being seriously injured on a fixed-site ride at a U.S. amusement park is one in seventeen million, said Susan Storey, IAAPAs director of communications. Statement will be out at 4:30 pm central time. They have not been named but one woman described it as the 'worst day of her life.'. Are you a high school dropout? Thats negligent homicide, said Ken Martin, a nationally recognized amusement-ride inspector and safety analyst since 1993. J[. This is a designed product for TV, absolutely cannot be anything else. It is almost a concession that evidence they presented to the grand jury was improper.". 13 years later, he kidnapped 31 year old Kala Brown, keeping her chained to a wall inside a shipping container for 65 days. The Red Cross last year added training and certification specifically for extreme shallow water rescue. I thought we had designed the biggest, baddest thing ever built, a ride that could operate safely and never have a serious accident, ever, if things were complied with and if the thing was maintained and operated as designed, Henry said. Why would you ever do that?. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.. The Schlitterbahn waterpark, in Kansas city - where Caleb Schwab tragically died on theVerruckt ride Sunday, has been sued three times for negligence since 2014. So sad and I'm sending good vibes to his family. While Henry and Schooley stood on an elevated platform between the slides main descent and second hill that day the slide opened, they watched as a raft lifted riders over the crest of Verrckts second hill. With June 15, 2013, set as the deadline for the entire project, Henry and Schooley had put themselves in a tight spot. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Henry noticed something. In times of fear, Sanford says she resorts to humor, which is exactly what she did with the twenty-something lifeguard who helped strap her into the raft at the top of Verrckt around noon that summer Sunday. Another source at the scene said that the raft did not have enough people inside - it is allegedly supposed to have 400lbs weighing it down. And after waiting about thirty minutes and walking 264 steps with Gocke and Gockes little sister, it was Sanfords turn to go down the slide named insane in German. Because of how fast you go on that ride, it all kind of happened in a blink.. Kansas City Police confirmed the boy had died froma 'fatal neck injury at the end of the ride, in the pool'. The Kansas City Star reported that Henry was taken into custody by U.S. marshals out of Brownsville, Texas. All of the regulations are really done at the state and local level with respect to amusement parks and waterparks. Its all over the damn thing. Kansas City, Kansas -- A judge dismissed criminal charges Friday against a Kansas water park owner and the designer of a 17-story slide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated in 2016 . When the group was over the weight limit, Jeffrey was relieved that he had an excuse not to go down Verrckt and hopped out of line. The police are working with the park on the investigation. No figures are available for overall water park injuries, but the Red Cross cited U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates when it launched updated training efforts last year for lifeguards who work at water parks. When I heard a noise that didnt sound like it was supposed to come from that kind of ride, thats when I turned around, Sanford told. According to People . Miles' attorneys said in their own statement that they welcome the opportunity to prove his innocence in court. House Speaker Ray Merrick told the Kansas City Star Schwab's family was "the center of his world.". Caleb Schwab AP. During. We pay for your stories! Witness accounts on social media stated the weight of the 2 adult women and the boy did not equal 400 pounds. Witnesses have described the gruesome scenes at a Kansas theme park where a boy, 10, was decapitated when he was thrown out of a waterslide's raft and into the safety netting above. The comments below have been moderated in advance. When the time came to finally open the slide in July 2014, the hype had hit a fever pitch, with favorable headlines and print, TV, and video pieces coming from the likes of the Today show, ABC News, USA Today, Grantland, the Kansas City Star, and others. "It's dangerous, but it's a safe dangerous now," Henry said in 2014. The Red Cross offers tips specifically for water parks. Caleb was in Raft B, joined by sisters Matraca Baetz and Hannah Barnes in the seats behind him. Im telling you, the ride that was built by John Schooley and Jeff Henry is not the same ride that that boy was on the day he died., He added, If I really believed I was responsible for the death of that little boy, Id kill myself right now.. They said they did not know what had happened. If we actually knew how to do this, and it could be done that easily, it wouldnt be that spectacular, Schooley said at the time, according to the indictment. www.kansascity.com/news/local/article94254507.html. I think just the excitement of the ride itself drowned out the frightening part of the straps coming off, Dueas told Esquire. This file photo shows Schlitterbahn's 168-foot-tall Verruckt speed slide/water coaster in Kansas City, Kansas, Caleb was understood to be sat at the front of the raft and was ejected as it hit the second drop (pictured) some 50ft from the ground. The exception essentially gave Schlitterbahn the right to self-regulate its safety and maintenance standards without strict oversight from the state. The two female passengers behind Caleb suffered serious facial injuries as he left the raft and hit the netting above, Police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said the boy's cause of death has not been confirmed. So it's probably bloodwhich is really creepy and really sad. When he ran forward to help, he saw a lifeguard desperately trying to hold back a gathering crowd. 'There are no federal standards and so it really is up to the park operators, the manufacturers of the rides and the states to make sure this is a safe environment," said Deborah Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council.'. A source familiar with the investigation into the boy's death told the Associated. Two women, still strapped into the raft, were injured with another witnesses describing one as having blood pouring down her face. Other witness accounts stated the scale at the top of the slide was malfunctioning that day. All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts. However, the particular ride that killed a 10-year old boy Sunday remains closed. Per http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2014/07/09/verruckt-water-slide-schlitterbahn-park/12411769/ the age limit was removed years ago: The person who tweeted this IS a reporter for Fox 4 Kansas City. T he Schlitterbahn waterpark, in Kansas city - where Caleb Schwab tragically died on the Verruckt ride Sunday, has been sued three times for negligence since 2014. And [the man] just shook his head. Visitors flocked to Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas, to experience its thrill. Castaneda said a lifeguard was trying to control the crowd as he tried to help but soon it seemed apparent that the boy had been decapitated. On June 16, 2016, Norris JJ Groves, the owner of a towing company in neighboring Missouri, rode Verrckt with his wife and son, according to the indictment. 'All of the regulations are really done at the state and local level with respect to amusement parks and waterparks. In early 2017, Schwabs family settled with Schlitterbahn and other companies involved in their sons death for nearly twenty million dollars. Castaneda's wife Leslie, told The Kansas City Star that she had seen the blood-streaked ride shortly after the horrific incident andCaleb's distraught family gathered nearby. This content is imported from youTube. And interviews with numerous former Schlitterbahn employees and park visitors who rode the Verrckt, together with the indictment, paint a picture of hubris and shoddy safety standards that, when combined, ultimately proved deadly.[Verrckt] could hurt me, it could kill me, it is a seriously dangerous piece of equipment today, because there are things that we dont know about it, Henry said during the testing of the slide. There, Schlitterbahn was born. We will see him another day.. Jess Stanford and Melanie Gocke were at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, on the same day a ten-year-old boy was killed on the 17-storey ride last week. The child was riding on the Verruckt water slide when he died. The two other women on the tide, who were not related to Caleb, were still strapped inside the raft with one nursing a broken jaw and another with a broken face bone,while the first seat in the raft was empty, likely to have been where Caleb was sitting. It said the allegation that Caleb's death was foreseeable is "beyond the pale of speculation.". The Associated Press contributed to this story. Considering his love of sports and that his go-to question, Can I go play?, is engraved on his grave, its comforting to see Schwabs resting place close to the slides and basketball hoops at Heritage Christian Academy. Without specifically mentioning water slides, Kansas statutes describe an 'amusement ride' as 'any mechanical or electrical device that carries or conveys passengers along, around or over a fixed or restricted route or course or within a defined area for the purpose of giving its passengers amusement, pleasure, thrills or excitement.'. During testing of the water slide, there was video footage of rafts doing exactly that. "), "I believe the state's presentation today only reinforces the validity of our arguments," said attorney Jeff Morris on January 25. This is a scary picture. Not too far away, Nathan Schwab was waiting at the bottom of the slide for his brother, Caleb, to come down Verrckt. The thought of this is making me sick! From the ninth floor of his office, staring at Verrckt was once inescapable: It [stood] as a monument to a murder.. A Schlitterbahn spokeswoman, Winter Prosapio, said the park had been shut down indefinitely and "a full investigation" is underway. Schwab and his wife released a statement confirming it was their son Caleb Thomas Schwab, whose family were at the park with him when he died. That article didn't mention the slide . This July I visited Schlitterbahn on the kind of blistering ninety-five-degree July day when you could easily bake chocolate chip cookies if you left the dough out in the sun. Ugh I can't even imagine that happening, thoughts out to the family and friends, especially to the other 2 that were on this ride when it happened. As he looked down, he says he saw the young boy who appeared to have been decapitated. Schlitterbahn shut down after the accident and will remain closed Monday. Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapiotold reporters at a press conference: ""We honestly don't know what's happened. Miles, the park's operations manager, is facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Local media has since revealed the water slide involved in the incident had not been inspected by the state since it opened two years ago. Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts. A growing segment of the industry has been municipal-run water parks, as cities and counties look to boost revenue from what their flat-water pools deliver. Timothy Bella is a staff writer and editor for the Washington Post, focusing on national news. The 2014 opening of Verruckt was delayed a few times, though the operators did not explain why. And he just kept saying, No, trust me, you dont want to go any further, she recalled. In September 2005, the company announced plans for a park in Kansas City, Kansasits first water park outside the Lone Star State and the fourth of five current facilitieswith grandiose visions of building the kind of towering resort with hotels, cabins, and tree houses that would take Schlitterbahn to the next level. This is absolutely horrible! emma watson speech ethos pathos logos; gambino crime family current boss; my natural insight login; abbie friedman jim snyder wedding A final look from the front gate as a crane starts to dismantle the 17-story Verrckt waterslide on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, in Kansas City, Kansas. In the spring of 2018, Schlitterbahns park in Corpus Christi was sold at a bankruptcy auction after a company run by the Henry brothers accrued thirty-two million dollars in unexplained cost overruns to run the facility. 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