Many lawmakers were at Schlitterbahn for Elected Official Day. After a boy died while riding a nearly 170-foot-tall waterslide in Kansas in 2016, state attorneys brought criminal charges against operators and associates of the water park, accusing them of. David Alvey, the current mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, told KSHB that he still thinks Schlitterbahn has been a good investment for the area. Other injuries were reportedly either covered up or never recorded; ride malfunctions were allegedly not properly addressed. Messages left Monday with Kansas' Labor Department were not immediately returned. The industry veteran, who requested that Esquire withhold their name, laid out how the size of the parks site, the timeline on their land and development goals, and the sweltering Kansas heat made the project one that was constantly reeling. You feel nauseous driving around it, said Chris Kamler, a forty-six-year-old resident who worked across the highway from the water park when the slide was still standing. The 10-year-old son of a Kansas state lawmaker was decapitated Sunday in an accident on the world's tallest water slide at Schlitterbahn, a Kansas City waterpark, witnesses say. 'He shouldn't have been on that ride.'. My thoughts are with the boy's family and anyone who witnessed this. (Baetz and Barnes, the two sisters who rode with Caleb and suffered serious facial injuries, settled with Schlitterbahn for an undisclosed amount in 2017. "We as a company and as a family will fight these allegations and have confidence that once the facts are presented it will be clear that what happened on the ride was an unforeseeable accident," she said in an emailed statement. She turned around to see what was happening. Because of how fast you go on that ride, it all kind of happened in a blink.. KANSAS CITY, Kansas -- 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 financial crisis of 2008 caused priorities to shift in many areas, including the amusement-park industry. Witnesses of waterslide tragedy recount boy's fatal fall. The boy's family had reached a settlement with . In 1979, years after buying Camp Landa along central Texass Comal River, the Henry family purchased the property next door and rebranded the resort into a four-slide water park. 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/. Not much released at the news conference, but I will be intrigued to find out after the investigation, exactly what happened. Those numbers do not include other water park injuries or those who need lifeguard assistance without a hospital trip. But the people who did float would share a pause, head shake, or murmur to look at the slide before returning to their conversations. 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. The lifeguard also said that Schlitterbahn had only a select group of more experienced employees present for the slides testing. I stared at the white waterslide once described by Henry as an erotic piece of artits curves and drops were as grand and ambitious as advertised. But officials scrapped the age restriction, deeming the height requirement sufficient. 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. Kansas City police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said he did not have any details about how the accident occurred. 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. Who are the new brides and grooms on Married At First Sight Australia? The corporation behind the Verruckt water slide in Kansas City and a former operations director who is being charged with manslaughter for the death of a 10-year-old boy did not have any proper . He said that blood was spotted 'all over the slide' which had tarps thrown over it to cover it. In plot A373 under a shady tree at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, fresh flowers, a pinwheel, and a worn Kansas City Royals flag waves next to a headstone featuring Caleb Schwabs smiling face. Instead of a classroom, Henry, whose first job was sweeping his familys resort for twenty-five cents an hour, grew obsessed with water and its possibilities as an engine of entertainment; by the time he was sixteen, hed build his first waterslide. Kansas City police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said no police report was available of the incident and deferred additional questions to the park. Its German name means insane.. Schlitterbahn was sued by Linda Stomboly in March 2014. 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.. Witness Esteban Castaneda told ABC 7 that he heard booms coming from the slide and then saw a body wash down the slide just after the raft. We literally worked around the clock.. The 168ft-high Verruckt, which means "insane" in German, was certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records. One of those women's jaw was broken and the other had a broken face bone, according to reports. That boat flew. Prosapio could not say whether the boy fell from the 17-story ride and she could not even say what time Sunday afternoon the incident occurred. Either way, it's tragic. Four rides at the water park remained closed after regulators found that Schlitterbahn did not comply with new legislation implemented in response to Schwabs death. "He would have fallen down without the raft. 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. A promotional video for a show 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. Were talking about a child who was decapitated. On Sunday, ten-year-old Caleb Schwab died at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City while on a 168 foot high slide. Even with the slide finally down, a community that once looked to Schlitterbahn as a summer refuge remains shaken and searching for answers of what went wrong. 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. 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. Did Rupert Murdoch Blow Up Fox News's Defense? One by one, people visiting their spouses or children at the Overland Park cemetery come by the back corner of the burial ground to chat with me about anything, mainly the oppressive heat, their loved ones, and Caleb. ), 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. Jeffrey Wayne Henry, Schlitterbahns co-owner and the man who came up with the idea for the Verrckt. RELATED: Witness Describes 'Horrific Scene' at Water Park After Boy Died. Is that one of the ride boats to the right? He called any potential legislative action spurred by Sunday's tragedy premature, saying the investigation of Caleb Schwab's death should be given time to unfold. A humid breeze presses down on the dead summer grass. (Brownback, now the U.S. ambassador for International Religious Freedom, declined to be interviewed.) For other inquiries, Contact Us. Sign up for a new account in our community. It was a Sunday afternoon, August 7 . Gocke said she saw Caleb falling down the slide, leaving a trail of blood behind him. While trying to get back in her tube, her leg became stuck 'resulting in multiple spiral fractures of her tibia and fibula,' according to the suit, which was settledfor $20,000. She claimed there were no lifeguards on duty at the time to help and she had to be saved from the water by waterpark customers. With June 15, 2013, set as the deadline for the entire project, Henry and Schooley had put themselves in a tight spot. Her case was also settled, according to her lawyer. We pay for your stories! But dominating Texas wasnt enough for the Henrys. I always set out to break all the records, he reportedly told USA Today. Walking back to the oversized and empty gift store, I became painfully aware of the lack of upkeep on the parks former crown jewel. Those parks attracted about 85 million people in 2015, compared to about 73 million in 2004. Schlitterbahns arrival was meant to be the final piece of the border puzzle. She alleged that she was injured by the park's King-Kaw attraction while riding it. 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 indictment says a video shows Caleb was following all rider instructions when he died. And so it sounded like you know they were gonna do something about it," Oberhauser said. It never really came together for me, the expert said. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. 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. He said, Its always on my mind: What if Jeffrey got on there?. What unfolded next could be viewed today as an instance of Henrys obsession with being the best. It said the allegation that Caleb's death was foreseeable is "beyond the pale of speculation.". 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. Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website. And I said, I need to hear it from you: Is he dead? He [said], Yes, your son is dead.. Two horrified witnesses have spoken out about the gruesome scene when a boy was decapitated by the world's largest waterslide. We have to understand what's happened. And he just kept saying, No, trust me, you dont want to go any further, she recalled. Two workers are charged with lying to . Steve Castaneda said Caleb Schwab, 10, was riding in the front of the raft on Schlitterbahn Water Park's Verruckt Slide when he fell out. Caleb Schwab, the son of a Kansas state politician, was killed after sustaining a fatal neck injury while on the 51 metre Verruckt slide. Riders must be at least 54 inches tall and are supposed to be at least 14 years old. Samantha Soper's head was whipped side to side like that of a rag doll on a raft that had been repaired with duct tape, causing the twenty-three-year-old to suffer from severe neck pain. That is absolutely not what we would expect., Delays would creep in and cause a massive redesign that would stretch into 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. 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. A promotional video for a show 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. 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! "It is almost a concession that they screwed up. And he says, I know, Dad.. The lifeguard, who spent four summers at Schlitterbahn Kansas City between 2011 and 2014, recounted an unstable work environment where misbehaving, immature, and inexperienced employees were kept on to fill the parks lifeguard quota, while adequate water and bathroom breaks were not always a given in the stifling summer days. A former lifeguard who spoke with Esquire saw firsthand the issues with not just the record-breaking slide, but also the work culture at the Kansas City park. Henry wanted to change that. 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