Following the unspeakable accident, the park immediately shut down. ABC News talked with Esteban Castaneda, who witnessed the incident at the water park. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Ken Martin, a Richmond, Virginia-based amusement park safety consultant, questioned whether the straps were appropriate for what he called "nothing more than a roller coaster with water.". Getty/Files. The video here is a point-of-view shot of the Giant Verrckt Water Slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, where the son of a state lawmaker died while plummeting down the 168-foot drop! Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. In 2012, the Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry, together with the senior designer John Schooley, fast-tracked Verrckts construction to coincide with an appearance on a reality TV show about amusement parks. 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. Riders plummeted down the nearly vertical 17-story chutetaller than Niagara Fallsat speeds up to 70 miles per hour. Are Tarek and Christina Still Business Partners After 'Flip or Flop'? Police confirmed to PEOPLE that he had been decapitated. The Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City. In seeking the indictment, state attorneys showed grand jurors video footage filmed for a Travel Channel show, Xtreme Waterparks, which featured the slide in an episode. The slide is 168-feet tall and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. The world's tallest water slide turned deadly on Sunday after a Kansas state lawmaker's son was killed on the attraction. He said there were two women sitting in the back of the raft with blood on them. Along the way, riders clutch ropes along the inside of the raft. Dr. Robert Klapper says to start pool exercises as way to improve back, Elizabeth Holmes has 2nd child as she tries to avoid prison, TikTok sets new default time limits for teens. The park was closed down after the incident Sunday and remained closed Monday. Caleb Schwab died six years ago in the tragedy at Schlitterbahn Park, in Kansas, on a water slide called Verruckt, which means crazy in German. By Cox Media Group National Content Desk August 10, 2016 at 11:32 am CDT. Period, he said. WARNING: The details in this story are graphic and may not be suitable for all readers. The slide's name means "insane" in German. "It's got to be used in a safe manner, and that doesn't include stopping someone's fall or preventing someone's ejection," Rust said. ABC News talked with Esteban Castaneda, who. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Authorities in Kansas were trying to determine Tuesday how a 10-year-old boy suffered a fatal neck injury while riding what is billed as the world's tallest water slide. A memorial service is planned for Friday afternoon. Family took photos of friend's snapped harness; Details on 'Fox & Friends'. Riders are propelled by jets of water as they go over a hump while riding the world's tallest water slide called "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in 2014. was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. We are obviously disappointed and respectfully disagree with the courts decision, the statement said, adding that prosecutors would take a fresh look at the evidence and applicable law in this tragic and troubling case to determine the best course forward.. 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. Castaneda said two other woman were strapped into the raft, and the first position of the raft was empty. KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) The young son of a Kansas state lawmaker died Sunday on a water slide that is billed as the world's largest, according to officials and the boy's family. 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. But the Kansas attorney general said in a statement that he may still consider future criminal charges. The video, though, is a fictional and dramatized version of events created for entertainment purposes, he wrote, concluding that it should not have been allowed as evidence. Instead, let's focus our efforts on thinking through all the ways to stay safe at amusement parks, in an effort to prevent anyone else from getting injured or worse in a place that is meant to inspire fun. July 13 (UPI) --A judge has ruled a Kansas waterslide billed as the world's largest, where a boy was killed in 2016, will be demolished this summer.The 17-story Verruckt slide at Schlitterbahn . ", But how can a ride this extreme be safe for anyone? Castaneda said that he heard booms coming from the area of the slide, and then saw a body wash down the slide directly after the raft did. They were not related to the boy. I know I will. Caleb Schwab died while riding a water slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, police said. Caleb was found dead in a pool at the bottom of the slide. According to court documents, a team of experts who inspected the ride after Caleb's death found physical evidence that indicated that other rafts had gone airborne and collided with the overhead hoops and netting before the fatality. Whats more, on July 3, 2014one week before the rides grand openingan engineering firm that was hired to perform accelerometer tests on Verrckts rafts issued a damning report that guaranteed that rafts would occasionally go airborne in a manner that could severely injure or kill the occupants. Other documents cited evidence of dozens of Schlitterbahn customers who had been injured on the ride. But it didn't, so I worked there. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com. According to the Huffington Post, the lawsuit (filed at Wyandotte County District Court in Kansas City) states, Due to Henry and Schooleys lack of expertise and a desire to rush the timeline, they skipped fundamental steps in the design process. The lawsuit continues, In place of mathematical and physics calculations, they rushed forward relying almost entirely on crude trial-and-error methods., Allegations are surfacing that multiple neck and head injuries were reported to the park before Calebs death, only to be hidden from law enforcement investigating the fatal incident. Some new details in the Caleb Schwab death are emerging with a witness giving her account of how the 10-year-old boy was killed on a water slide at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas on Sunday. Castaneda said he had ridden the slide earlier in the day with his cousin's 14-year-old daughter. "No words can express the pain we all feel for this terrible tragedy. Lawyers for the other defendants either could not be reached on Saturday or did not immediately respond to requests for comment. USA Today reports a full investigation is underway. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. This is likely where Caleb had been sitting. Caleb was the son of Scott Schwab, a former Republican state senator who recently took office as the Kansas secretary of state. Miles, said there is no question that Fridays ruling about what occurred before the grand jury was correct and the judges reasoning legally sound.. It features a 168-foot plummet, during which riders in three-person rafts travel as fast as 45 miles per hour. — -- A 10-year-old boy who died on a water slide in Kansas City, Kansas, suffered a fatal neck injury, officials said, as a witness recounted the "horrific scene" and the "panic" that erupted . 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The lifeguard looked at me and assured me that its really not a big deal, she told Fox News. Conrad's wife snapped a photo at the end of the ride showing the strap missing, and Conrad didn't file a complaint with the park. Castaneda said he noticed a lifeguard was trying to push the crowd back from the slide, but he continued to try to help because he thought there was someone lying face down in the water. A video showed Caleb was following all rider instructions when he died. Access to the Verruckt remained blocked by a 7-foot-high wooden fence. No one had ever done anything like this before. The boy's father, state Rep. Scott Schwab, thanked the community for the outpouring of support his family has received. 'Life After Lockup' Season 4 Couple Updates, Baring it All! I didn't understand what was going on so I only saw Caleb sliding down the last half of the slide, and then I saw the blood. WARNING: The details in this story are graphic and may not be suitable for all readers. 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 . or redistributed. 2 North Dakota news site MyNDNow.com reports the boy's parents were with him at the park that day. All Rights Reserved. Authorities did not immediately identify the child who died at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas, but state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife released a statement saying it was their son Caleb Thomas Schwab. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. The slide's name means "insane" in German. Multiple injuries were reported before his incident. They realized that he was dead, so I don't think they tried to revive him.. A promotional video about building the slide includes footage of two men riding a raft down a half-size test model and going slightly airborne as it crests the top of the first big hill. 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 . He said Caleb was a hugger who loved his parents, sports and Jesus. She remembered a short video they were required to watch, though she didn't recall that it included any caveats about peril. But once I took a closer look, I started to realize how complicated this story really was, and how this could have happened to anyone who went down that slide.. A memorial service is planned for Friday afternoon. Past close calls reported after boy dies on waterslide Family took photos of friend's snapped harness; Details on 'Fox & Friends' Several passengers who rode the waterslide where a 10-year-old. Police said the death appeared to be an accident . Visitors flocked to Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas, to experience its thrill. Caleb Schwab, 10, died on the world's tallest water slide in Kansas City in August 2016 Credit: David Strickland 7 The water slide in Kansas City was billed as the world's tallest at 168ft high 7 Fire engines pictured at the scene of the fatal accident in 2016 Credit: Reuters 7 Erica Conrad, a season-pass holder, told "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday she witnessed her friends close call last summer when his straps busted off during the ride. Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick sent an email on Sunday to other members of the state legislature asking for their prayers for the Schwabs. Henry and Schooley were ultimately indicted on charges of aggravated battery, aggravated endangerment of a child, interference with law enforcement, and involuntary manslaughter. Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website. 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. Someone else who had ridden the Verrckt (which is named after the German word for "insane") earlier that day claims the Velcro on her seat belt came undone toward the end of the experience. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Rep. Scott Schwab, died on the 17-story. Numerous elected officials and their families were in the park when the tragedy happened. Apparently the owner specifically chose Kansas because they have no height restrictions for water slides. A Kansas water park plans to tear down a giant water slide on which a 10-year-old boy died in 2016. AUGUST 9, 2016 REPORT: It's called "the world's tallest water slide," and it reaches higher than the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls. Caleb Schwab was killed Sunday while zooming down the 168-ft.-tall Verruckt water slide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, police said. Paul Oberhauser told local television station KCTV his shoulder restraint "busted loose" on his Verruckt raft July 26. The water park is now closed, and the slide has been demolished. Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website. His funeral is scheduled for Friday. With opening day of Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City approaching, the Verrckt water slide still stands as a reminder of the grisly death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab last year. Kansas City Police also released more information about the incident Monday, calling the boy's death a "fatal neck injury at the end of the ride." "I didn't think much about it," she said. Are Janelle, Christine and Meri Suing Kody Over Money From Coyote Pass? We are good at sending thoughts and prayers, Truesdell quipped. Verruckt was certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records. Winter Prosapio, a spokeswoman for Schlitterbahn, said the company welcomed the decision. He would have fallen down without the raft.". It was at that point that he noticed the boy appeared to have been decapitated. "I heard the noise, and I looked over immediately, and I saw his broken neck and him sliding down the slide leaving a blood trail," Melanie Gocke told CNN. Each strap is held in place by long Velcro-style straps, not by buckles. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. His distraught little brother reportedly told Schlitterbahn WaterPark workers: I just saw my little brother die because of one of your attractions.. It's the scariest thing I've done.". Caleb, his parents and 3 brothers attended "elected officials day" at the water park on Sunday. The pair had hoped to ride the "World's Largest Waterslide" together. Park-goers Jess Sanford and Melanie Gocke were on the Verrckt slide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kan., earlier in the day before little Caleb Thomas Schwab was killed on. Pastor Clint Sprague, the family spokesperson for the Schwab family said they're heartbroken. German for insane, Verrckt was designed to challenge the laws of physics. Nathan Truesdell, a filmmaker from nearby Missouri, heard about the devastating incident on the news. The Kansas City Star reports an attorney representing an affiliate of Kansas City, Kansas, park . A person familiar with the investigation confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday the boy was decapitated. The two women riding in the raft with Caleb suffered minor facial injuries. Riders sit in multi-person rafts that begin with the steep drop, followed by a surge up a second hill before a 50-foot descent to a finishing pool. They were not related to the boy. We want to hear what you think about this article. He was "affectionate" and a "hugger," Sprague said, and he loved baseball, basketball and his church. Oberhauser said he reported the matter to park workers. The Verruckt ride will remain closed while the accident is investigated; the rest of the park is tentatively scheduled to reopen on Wednesday. An attorney for ride designer Schooley, Justin Johnston, told the Times: "We don't know what the future holds, but hope that with a fresh look at the evidence and law, the parties can find a way to put this matter behind them.". Caleb Schwab, 10, died in front of his family while riding a 168ft-high water slide in Kansas at Schlitterbahn Water Park. Although they had built rides before, neither Henry nor Schooley had a background in mechanical engineering. The slide is 168 feet tall and has 264. TheAtlantic.com Copyright (c) 2023 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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