The Verruckt ride, which means "insane" in German, was open at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, when Caleb, the son of Kansas lawmaker Scott Schwab, was killed. The Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kan., remained closed Monday as investigators looked into the death of a 10-year-old boy on what's billed as the world's tallest water slide. At that point, Scott said that in his state of shock he repeatedly asked the man if his son had lost his life. young Caleb Schwab was decapitated while on the ride, with horrified witnesses recounting the horror blood-streaks left on the ride. "And we didn't know whether we had it figured out or not.". 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. I was so happy that Schlitterbahn hired me that I didn't think anything about the tragic accident on the Verrckt water coaster the previous year. ", He said at the time that while the ride was dangerous, it was "safe dangerous".7. After a Missouri man thrown from the raft suffered facial injuries in June 2016, the park's operations manager allegedly attempted to cover up the incident, telling lifeguards what to write in their reports; it is believed that this happened with other accidents. A 12-year-old boy died Sunday while riding the Verruckt water slide at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City Water Park. [6], The water slide was spontaneously conceived by Henry at a trade show, after a team from Travel Channel's Xtreme Waterparks asked what he was working on. The 10-year-old son of Kansas lawmaker Scott Schwab died while riding the world's tallest waterslide - the Verruckt, in Kansas City. A 168 foot water slide at a Kansas theme park is billed as the tallest in the world, but a boy named Caleb Schwab died in front of his family. The 27-year-old said she was horrified to see the body of the 10-year-old being covered by first responders. The Verruckt ride, which means "insane" in German, was open at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, when Caleb, the son of Kansas lawmaker Scott Schwab, was killed.. Police said investigations into the incident were ongoing. Schlitterbahn has closed its Kansas City location while Verruckt has been demolished. Teen Dies in Rafting Accident After Truck Pulls Him from Pond to Parking Lot. Meanwhile, Schlitterbahn reopened the KCK location for the 2017 season, although it held back on advertising in the Kansas City area and continued to wait for permission to tear Verruckt down. The Verr*ckt permanently closed its doors in 2016 following the death of a ten-year-old boy due to a decapitation incident. In this photo taken with the fisheye lens, riders go down the world's tallest waterslide called "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Kansas City, Kan. Charlie Riedel, AP [3] Designed by Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry, Verrckt was a three-person raft slide with an uphill section. Jeffrey Henry, co-owner of Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, "lacked the expertise to properly design" Verrckt, the waterslide that killed Caleb Schwab on Aug. 7, 2016, contends a lawsuit brought by the state of Kansas against the water park and its former director of operations, Tyler Miles. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. I looked over and saw his broken neck and him sliding down the slide leaving a blood trail, a witness aid. [3], Verrckt was eventually completed and officially opened on July 10,[18] attracting national media coverage. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Schlitterbahn Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas. The opening of the 17-storey free-fall water ride was revealed to have been pushed back twice with footage of the ride being tested showing rafts flying from the huge ride. He said: "As we were going down, we went down the first one, and as we were approaching the second one, he was in the back and you could hear him say that his strap came off and when we hit, he was real tense, shaken, because his strap had come completely off and literally he was using all of his force to hold him onto the slide. 4 likes. The opening of the 17-storeyfreefall water ride has been revealed to have beenpushed back twice with further safetyconcerns coming to lightafter young Caleb Schwab was decapitated while on the ride, with horrified witnesses recounting the horror blood-streaks left on the ride. July 10, 2014. skcku 6 yr. ago. Witness Kelsey Friedrichse told PEOPLE thatshe and her boyfriend were on their way up the huge water slide when they saw crowds gathering at the bottom of the 168-foot ride. "That was when my boyfriend said, 'I think there is someone else.'". I was hired as an admissions cashiertaking payment and . Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The safety harnesses are also raising questions. Other traumatised witnesses said they saw Caleb's family crying as emergency services treated the other two women who were on the raft.8. The 2 other adult female riders in the boat, not related tothe victim, sustained minor facial injuries, and were transported and treated at area hospitals.". "He would have fallen down without the raft. You don't want to go any further'.". Schlitterbahn in Galveston was open and busy on Monday, but many parents took precautions. Demolition of Verrckt began on November 1, 2018. A Warner Bros. The ride's final design made rafts reach a maximum speed of 70mph (110km/h). Original plans for Schlitterbahn Kansas City, the first Schlitterbahn Waterparks site outside Texas, called for a $750 million complex including hotels and resort areas. She said: "It looked like he must have somehow been ejected from his seat, bounced around between the netting and the slide and just slide down. Keith Myers /TNS Show More Show Less 2 of 17 In 2014, the Schiltterbahn . On Sunday, ten-year-old Caleb Schwab died at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City while on a 168 foot high slide. [7][10] Although the park reopened three days later, the ride remained closed. The ride was designed at the park, led by John Schooley with assistance from park co-owner Jeff Henry. When complete, he recommended that only riders aged 16 and over be allowed on the ride. Verruckt is closed during the investigation. Support Us! The Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City had . [9] In the immediate aftermath, the park was closed pending an inspection. 2023 Cable News Network. That is, until August 7, 2016, when the raft that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was riding went airborne . The family was reported to receive a settlement of nearly $20 million, local media said in May 2017. Groundbreaking took place September 18, 2007 on the land formerly occupied by the Wyandotte County Fairgrounds and the Unified Government courthouse annex, across Interstate 435 from the Kansas Speedway and Village West. 1 / 6. Many have heard about the tragic death of Caleb Schwab on the Verruckt water slide at Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, Kansas. Discovery Company. "It was surreal. All Rights Reserved. For other inquiries, Contact Us. [45][9], The 2018 indictment against Schlitterbahn wrote that Henry and Schooley "lacked technical expertise to design a properly functioning water slide" and did not perform standard engineering procedures or calculations on how the slide would operate. Just before the opening, however, he dropped any age limit. "The Kansas City, Kansas Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene and located Caleb Schwab, 10 years old, dead from a fatal neck injury at the end of the ride, in the pool. [3] The park did not operate the following season, and Schlitterbahn's reputation and finances were negatively impacted. Even those werent enough to save 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated. appreciated. Skull bumps, long noses and fabulous hair among traits inherited from ancient cousins, Ron DeSantis burns Joe Biden's smug 'Governor who?' Verrckt was originally scheduled to open in June 2013, but difficulties during various stages of construction and safety testing resulted in several delays. Aside from Kansas City, the park was located in Dallas as were a number of other parks owned by the company. That was when my boyfriend said, 'I think there is someone else'.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He said: "As soon as I hit the bottom of the first curve the shoulder strap just kind of busted loose. [31] This created an uneven weight distribution, which some experts concluded may have contributed to the raft going airborne, though the total weight of 546 pounds (248kg) was less than the maximum recommended weight of 550 pounds (250kg). The son of Kansas City Republican Scott Schwab drowned on the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark last weekend. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. (Reuters: Dave Kaup)The ride was created after Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeffrey Wayne Henry made a "spur . TWOteenagers have described the horrific moment they saw a trail of blood following Caleb Schwab's body down a waterslide - after he was tragically killed on the 168ft-high ride. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. "That should tell you something about how I felt about it", he said. 701 P.2d 939, 47-48 (Kan. 1985). "The Kansas City, Kansas Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene and located Caleb Schwab, 10 years old, dead from a fatal neck injury at the end of the ride, in the pool. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. The 370-acre (1.5km2), $750 million development included a nearly 40-acre (160,000m2) waterpark, which is Schlitterbahn's fourth waterpark and its first outside Texas. Schlitterbahn is a Texas-based company so the lawyers involved could move forward with legal proceedings there. Independent investigation . . Verrckt was well-received upon opening, winning a Golden Ticket Award from Amusement Today in 2014. The park did not open for the 2019 season. Following the tragedy, Michelle told the show about her eldest son's screams of terror after the fatal accident. [3][25][26] The other two passengers, both women, were injured in the incident one suffered a broken jaw, while the other suffered a facial bone fracture and needed stitches. Experts Say Caleb Schwab Should Have Been In Center Seat", "State of Kansas v. Tyler Austin Miles, Schlitterbahn Waterpark of Kansas City, Kansas", "Schlitterbahn Kansas City announces Verruckt water slide to be removed after child death in August", "Schlitterbahn will close Verrckt water slide where 10-year-old boy was killed", "Cedar Fair reaches deal to acquire Schlitterbahn water parks in Texas", "Schlitterbahn to tear down Verruckt water slide in KCK where young boy died in 2016", "Court Grants Permission To Destroy World's Tallest Waterslide", "Plans to tear down water slide where boy died on hold", "Demolition begins on Schlitterbahn's Verruckt", "Cedar Fair, parent company of Worlds of Fun, purchases Texas Schlitterbahn waterparks, with rights to KCK property", "A boy was decapitated on a waterslide. KANSAS CITY, KS -- 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. The Verrckt the worlds tallest water slide, at Kansas Citys Schlitterbahn water park is known for its unparalleled, 168-foot vertical drop. Did Brady play his last game at Raymond James? "His friend was screaming for help and I think that's when staff members and medics and stuff started running.". To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. John Schooley, who designed the killer slide, said that during testing he "didn't know whether he was going to survive" a run on the ride. I don't even hardly remember driving home.". He said at the time that while the ride was dangerous, it was "safe dangerous". Two women in the boat with him neither related to Caleb suffered minor facial injuries. KANSAS CITY, Kan. - 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. View our online Press Pack. However, Henry and Schooley, while watching riders that day, noted how many rafts seemed to be going airborne on the lower hump, into the emergency netting meant to keep them on the slide. Video Opinion . . For other inquiries, Contact Us. Plans called for the total demolition of the remaining Schlitterbahn structures, which was to begin before July 2021. Man killed, woman hurt by shooter police say they knew in Hempstead, 4 injured in drive-by shooting outside NE Houston store, HPD says, Incriminating Google searches revealed in missing MA mom case. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. It's the scariest thing I've done. What grocery stores are open on New Years Eve, Day? Today, August 7, is the fifth anniversary of his horrific death in August 2016. Then He Recovers and Proposes to Wife Again, 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Dad Scott, who has had a decade in the Kansas House, toldGood Morning Americaof the last time he spoke to Caleb just before he and Nathan set off for the ride,which has now been torn down. Two woman with whom he was riding suffered minor injuries. When the ride first opened in 2014, co-owner and Verruckt creator Jess Henry told USA Today: "We had many issues on the engineering side. He said Caleb was a hugger who loved his parents, sports and Jesus. Police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan . It is the world's tallest waterslide. The Verruckt water slide has been closed since the death of a 10-year-old on the ride in 2016. "Stay away from the large rides," explained Rachel Grey, who brought her kids. Schlitterbahn Kansas City announces Verruckt water slide to be removed after child death in August. The Verruckt ride, which the boy was on, will remain closed for the season. Cast, Premiere Date, More, Sister Wives Gwendlyn Speaks Out After Paedon Accuses Meri of Abuse, New Dos, Who Dis? Tragic child Caleb Schwab, 10, was the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab. 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. Details on Rules, Blackout and More. Floods are going to become more common, so its vital to learn how to prepare, no matter where you live. Galveston's Schlitterbahn does not have the slide Schwab was killed on, but does have other high slides. I remember hearing about the accident on the news and thought that the park was going to shut down. While this opens up a theoretical basis to claim substantial damages in a wrongful death . [14] Their findings revealed that the use of the metal brace and netting system in the design,[15] along with the use of hook and loop straps to restrain the riders,[16] went against guidelines set by ASTM F-24 Committee on Amusement Ride and Devices. She said: "There was a woman being treated for some kind of injury on her face and head. Schooley and fellow co-owner Jeff Henry originally faced charges of involuntary manslaughter and a number of others over Caleb's death, but the charges were dropped in 2019 owing to "improper evidence and testimony". [18], In 2018, the last operating season of the park, four attractions remained closed throughout the season after an audit by regulators found that each did not comply with the Kansas Amusement Ride Act.[19]. 2013, but many parents took precautions 168-foot vertical drop 's screams of terror the... Save 10-year-old Caleb Schwab on the raft.8 in May 2017 Michelle told Show. 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