My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and others involved, and I hope that they can prevent this from happening again. The ride, while available for riders over the height of 54 inches tall and who are able to understand the two page safety warning park employees must read them before they can enter, is actually meant for "thrill seekers", according to Jeff Henry, the co-owner of Schlitterbahn and creator of the Verruckt water slide. As people continue to try to figure out how a ten-year-old boy lost his life going down the worlds tallest waterslide, Schlitterbahns leadership, as well as the employees responsible for the rides upkeep, have taken the brunt of the blame. Two horrified witnesses to the death of the boy decapitated by the world's largest waterslide have spoken out about the gruesome scene. WARNING: The details in this . Thats negligent homicide, said Ken Martin, a nationally recognized amusement-ride inspector and safety analyst since 1993. With June 15, 2013, set as the deadline for the entire project, Henry and Schooley had put themselves in a tight spot. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.. Caleb Schwab, 10, was decapitated on a water slide in Kansas five years ago ( Image: Boy, 12, dies on Verrckt slide at Schlitterbahn water park in KCK, http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article94254507.html#storylink=cpy, http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2014/07/09/verruckt-water-slide-schlitterbahn-park/12411769/. . ), But attorneys for Schlitterbahn say the evidence presented last spring in the Kansas attorney general's case against the waterpark giant abused the grand jury in order to obtain criminal indictments against Henry, Schooley, Miles, and the company. I said, Mmmm, I just announced this major new ride. Steven Tyson, his assistant at the time, added: He wasnt the tallest and he wasnt the fastest, so he decided to make that happen., Schooley would recall to Gizmodo in July 2014 their reasoning for building Verrckt: Basically, we were crazy enough to try anything.. Henry's arrest follows a Kansas grand jury's indictment last week of the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City, Kansas, and its former operations director, Tyler Austin Miles, on 20 felony charges. 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. 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. Another witness to the tragedy revealed some of the gruesome details surrounding the boys death earlier in the week. But the death over the weekend of a Kansas state lawmaker's 10-year-old son on a waterslide billed as the world's largest is the latest example that dangers lurk in the appealing slides and wave pools. Republican Senators Form Wingnut Xylophone, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. "This is not something that we've experienced. In addressing the viral videos of the sandbags flying off the testing of the ride, Henry expressed confidence that the ride was good to go. Schlitterbahn is a family waterpark, but this isnt a family ride., On July 10, 2014, the slide opened to the public. A floor a day. Jeffrey Henry was arrested in connection with a Kansas criminal case arising from a 10-year-old boy's death on the world's largest waterslide. The Verrckt slide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark is the tallest in the world. A couple of hours later on August 7, 2016, Scott Schwab brought his wife and four sons to the park. "Our lifeguards are critical and it will be difficult for them to focus after something like this so for that reason we felt it was wise to close the park.". This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. If we mess up, it could be the end. 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. The child was riding on the Verruckt water slide when he died. A day earlier, she told reporters that Caleb had been at the park with family members, adding 'We honestly don't know what's happened.'. He grabbed the auxiliary straps on the side to get him ready for the second hump. Paul Oberhauser told CBS News that his safety belt came off while riding with a friend and his 9-year-old son about two weeks ago. Are you a high school dropout? She then saw Caleb's body on the ground and his family standing nearby crying. 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. Storey added: The industrys long-standing safety record exists because safety is our top priority., A safety expert whos worked with Schooley and Henry says allegations of misconduct are baffling. Caleb Schwab had been decapitated. In March 2018, a forty-seven-page indictment from a grand jury in Wyandotte County revealed, among other things, whistle-blower evidence of how Schlitterbahn officials allegedly covered up other safety-related incidents on Verrckt, and concluded that the slides lack of safety standards posed a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death or severe bodily harm. While it isnt unique for amusement parks to get sued for isolated incidents, the magnitude of the Schwab tragedy, and Schlitterbahns decorated profile, made the grand jurys findings of the water parks negligence that much more damning. It never really came together for me, the expert said. Why would you ever do that?. During testing of the water slide, there was video footage of rafts doing exactly that. I said, Its a speed blaster. Well, it didnt exist. I didnt feel secure.. One is a line from John 3:16. Donald Slaughters raft collided with a concrete wall, resulting in herniated spinal disks and radiating numbness and tingling in the forty-two-year-olds right arm. Its a sentiment echoed by Mike Taylor, the public relations director for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. We have to understand what's happened. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Caleb Thomas Schwab, 10, died in an accident on theworld's tallest waterslide in Kansas City, Caleb Thomas Schwab was decapitated while on the ride with his family, including his father Scott Schwab, a Kansas state lawmaker, left devastated, Witnesses said they were devastated when they saw the blood streaked Verruckt slide, The waterslide in Kansas City is billed as the world's tallest and is 168ft high, The ride is named Verruck and translates to "insane" in German, Caleb was the son of Kansas Republican state representative Scott Schwab, Fire engines pictured at the scene of the accident yesterday, Those wanting to ride the waterslide must climb 264 stairs to reach the top, The ride uses rafts to hold groups of people as they fly down at speeds of 65mph, Republican Scott Schwab's son Caleb was killed while ridingon the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. And yes, Schlitterbahn representative has confirmed that the accident happened on Verrukt. For decades, amusement parks have been exempt from federal regulation, leaving in charge state governments, such as Kansas, that offer little, if any, oversight. That boat looked like it flew.. Tyler Austin Miles,. I always set out to break all the records, he reportedly told USA Today. Schlitterbahn was sued by Linda Stomboly in March 2014. Her petition showed that her accident resulted in multiple spiral fractures of her tibia and fibula. The front seat of the raft - where Schwab most likely sat - was empty. How safe is your neighborhood? I was pretty shocked to see the approach they took when designing, building, and maintaining the Verrckt, said Deborah Hersman, former president and CEO of the National Safety Council. House Speaker Ray Merrick told the Kansas City Star Schwab's family was "the center of his world.". Over two years after 10-year-old Caleb Schwab lost his life on the tallest waterslide in the world, the amusement park industry has yet to fully reckon with the tragedy. The Aquatic Attraction Lifeguarding course includes techniques for handling and removing people from water that is generally 3 feet deep or less, which can be different than in deep-water pools, and first-aid training emphasizing care for head, neck and spinal injuries. On vacation from Lincoln, Nebraska, with her friend Melanie Gocke and her friends family in August 2016, Sanford, then a rising high school junior, didnt know anything about Schlitterbahn Kansas City. The 2014 opening of Verruckt was delayed a few times, though the operators did not explain why. Roller coaster death tragedy. On July 24, 2016, Dueas, who had made multiple trips to Schlitterbahns parks in Kansas City and South Padre Island, Texas, visited the water park with his friend, son, then-wife, and her family. Her case was also settled, according to her lawyer. (The state's assistant attorney general refuted Schlitterbahn's suggestion that the grand jury was "too stupid to discern a television show for evidence. The indictment says a video shows Caleb was following all rider instructions when he died. My thoughts are with the boy's family and anyone who witnessed the accident. Henry noticed something. But even with bad knees, nothing was stopping the struggling Dueas from getting to the top. '", "It looked like he must have somehow been ejected from his seat, bounced around between the netting and the slide and just slid down," Friedrichsen said. 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. But the people who did float would share a pause, head shake, or murmur to look at the slide before returning to their conversations. The Kansas City Star reported that Henry was taken into custody by U.S. marshals out of Brownsville, Texas. Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts. NOW. Sanford immediately realized the fear she nervously joked about hours prior was beginning to unfold in real time. She suffered slipped spinal disks, an injury thats left her with chronic back pain. In a news article linked to the news release announcing a 2014 delay, Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry told USA Today that he and senior designer John Schooley had based their calculations when designing the slide on roller coasters, but that didn't translate well to a waterslide like Verruckt. That is insane. 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. It also had aminimum height of 54 inches and a combined weight of all riders in the raft to be between 400 and 550 pounds. "As soon as I hit the bottom of the first curve the shoulder strap just kind of busted loose," Oberhauser said. Two lawsuits involved mishaps on the 3,000-foot King Kaw inner tube ride in man-made rapids and the third involved a man who said he caught his toe on a surfing ride and fell on his face. 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. "Schlitterbahn is a family water park, but this isn't a family ride. Judge Jay-Jay shares her advice on making friends as adults, Every couple who's left Married At First Sight Australia 2023, Discover where it all went wrong for Josh and Melissa on Married At First Sight, "This man does not deserve me" Caitlin's emotional speech leaving Married At First Sight, Treasure Island Matty McLean has a secret weapon to win Treasure Island, In the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle Amy Bowkett got to work. 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. Police have revealed that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab - who was involved in a fatal accident at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City on Sunday - died of a "neck . Schlitterbahn shut down after the accident and will remain closed Monday. State Rep. Scott Schwab, an Olathe Republican, and his wife, Michele, released a statement asking for privacy as the family grieves. Is that one of the ride boats to the right? By April 2014, the Guinness Book of World Records officially declared Verrckt the worlds tallest waterslide, despite it not being close to finished. TWO teenagers 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. (The shows executive producers did not respond to multiple interview requests.). As Michele Schwab, Caleb's mother, tried to get closer to see what was going on, a gentleman stopped her. Prosapio said Sunday that the park's rides are inspected daily and by an 'outside party' before the start of each season. Attorney General Derek Schmidt's office did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails seeking further comment, details about Henry's arrest, or information about exactly what criminal charges he faces. The company also promised to aggressively fight the criminal charges against Miles and the park, and respond to the allegations in the 47-page indictment "point by point.". Paul Oberhauser who visited the park two weeks ago told CBS News that his velcro safety belt came off while riding with a friend and his 9-year-old son about two weeks ago, An image shows netting being removed from a portion of the ride following the tragic incident on Sunday. 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. 'All of the regulations are really done at the state and local level with respect to amusement parks and waterparks. When they went down, the Travel Channel folks got stuck on the second hump, so they had to do a rerun. The former employee added: After seeing that, I told my friends and family it was only a matter of time until someone died on Verrckt. Scott Schwab is a Republican from Olathe. Later that afternoon, Sanford and Gocke were hanging out at one of the picnic tables at Boogie Bay, the final area of Schlitterbahn Kansas Citys extensive lazy-river setup with a view of Verrckt. The financial crisis of 2008 caused priorities to shift in many areas, including the amusement-park industry. It opened in 2010, one of five water parks operated by the New Braunfels, Texas-based corporation, Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Resorts. Its still here, and its been two years.. The indictment also said Henry helped design the giant waterslide even though he had "no technical or engineering credentials" and that he set a "rushed timeline" for its construction. On the back of his headstone is another image of Caleb wearing the cap from his youth baseball team, the Kansas City Mudcats. One of the lifeguards would later come forward to a detective, revealing Miless work in covering up the incidentan effort that was corroborated by members of the medical staff. According to the March indictment, at least thirteen nonfatal injuries suffered by guests who rode Verrckt were recorded in the 182 days the ride was open between 2014 and 2016, up to and including the day of Calebs death. The waters are shallow and lifeguards are seemingly everywhere at the proliferating number of water parks around the U.S. When Raul Dueas returned to Schlitterbahn for the first time since moving back to Kansas City from California, he thought Verrckt was too high. Police said Caleb died from "a fatal neck injury." Another witness claimed that the child was decapitated . In April 2017, the Kansas legislature, following an impassioned speech from Calebs father, strengthened a law on amusement-ride inspections that previously allowed amusement-park operators to not share private inspections with state officials, giving the state one of the weakest sets of regulations nationwide. That boat flew. My thoughts are with the boy's family and anyone who witnessed this. On Sunday, ten-year-old Caleb Schwab died at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City while on a 168 foot high slide. Brittany Hawkins, a twenty-year-old who had previously worked at the park as a lifeguard, had her strap come undone and came within inches of hoops and netting after her raft went airborne. The Wyandotte County coroner's office began a post-mortem examination on Monday. The park was tentatively scheduled to reopen Wednesday, but 'Verruckt is closed,' according to the statement. By. I can't even imagine the sheer terror for everyone involved. Scott Schwabwho was elected Kansass Secretary of Statedeclined to be interviewed. Nothing in confirmed yet. This is absolutely horrible! This content is imported from youTube. 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 . According to the police report, Caleb Schwab died of a neck injury and was decapitated while riding the 168-foot Verruckt water slide. We have to understand what's happened. I wonder if it ended up there by accident or was it pulled off the ride in the aftermath? WARNING: The details in this story are graphic and may not be suitable for all readers. One of its most popular attractions, 168-foot-tall Verruckt, which means 'insane' in German, opened in 2014. "), "I believe the state's presentation today only reinforces the validity of our arguments," said attorney Jeff Morris on January 25. THE10-year-old son of a Kansas lawmaker was decapitated while riding on one of the world's tallest waterslides, horrified witnesses have said. The child was riding on the back of his headstone is another image Caleb. Shows Caleb was following all rider instructions when he died or was it pulled off the ride to. It ended up there by accident or was it pulled off the ride the. 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