KANSAS CITY, Kansas (WPVI) -- 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. I wouldn't be surprised if they lack regulations on safety harnesses as well. The case focused on a waterslide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kan. T he death of a 10-year-old Kansas boy, who was decapitated on the world's tallest water slide over the weekend, has revived calls for change in the . He described a horrific scene after the boy's death. Legal Statement. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. He was found dead at the bottom of the slide, and the two . 2 Castaneda said he had ridden the slide earlier in the day with his cousin's 14-year-old daughter. Caleb's parents, Scott and Michelle Schwab, said in a 2017 interview on Good Morning America that they had taken their four sons to the water park, and that Caleb and his then 12-year-old brother, Nathan, both went to the top of the 170-foot slide. 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 . 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.". 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. North Dakota news site MyNDNow.com reports the boy's parents were with him at the park that day. Caleb Schwab, 10, was killed in an accident on a ride at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas, his family said on August 7, 2016. A memorial service will be held Friday afternoon, Sprague said. 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 video showed Caleb was following all rider instructions when he died. The slide, known as Verrckt, which is German for crazy or insane, opened in 2014 and was marketed as the tallest waterslide in the world. They realized that he was dead, so I don't think they tried to revive him.. They were not related to the boy. Police confirmed to PEOPLE that he had been decapitated. Also indicted were Henry & Sons Construction Company and KC Waterpark Management, both affiliates of Schlitterbahn. Pastor Clint Sprague, the family spokesperson for the Schwab family said they're heartbroken. 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. Nate Schwab, 12, was at the top of the Verruckt water slide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City with his 10-year-old brother, Caleb. 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. 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. We agree with the courts decision that the grand jury was not given a fair picture of the evidence relating to this tragic accident, Justin Johnston, a lawyer for Mr. Schooley, said. The slide is also inspected daily. KANSAS CITY, Kansas (WABC) -- 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. 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. Marshals said. Another rider, Kenneth Conrad, told WDAF-TV that during his trip down the waterslide last year with a friend, the friend's shoulder strap came "completely off." Caleb, his parents and 3 brothers attended "elected officials day" at the water park on Sunday. It's the scariest thing I've done.". The ride was designed at the park, led by John Schooley with assistance from park co-owner Jeff Henry. Jon Rust, a professor of textile engineering at North Carolina State University, said the material used on the straps, commonly called hook and loop, isn't designed to keep a person in the seat. It features a 168-foot plummet, during which riders in three-person rafts travel as fast as 45 miles per hour. Witnesses have described the harrowing moments after a 10-year-old boy was decapitated while riding on the worlds biggest waterslide in Kansas while other riders have told of their safety straps also coming loose . 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. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Rep. Scott Schwab, died on the 17-story. "Before they took off I said, 'Brothers stick together' and [Caleb] said, 'I know, dad,'" Scott said. He said there were two women sitting in the back of the raft with blood on them. This Nov. 2013 file photo shows Schlitterbahn's Verruckt speed slide/water coaster in Kansas City. The Verrckt slide in Kansas is billed as the world's tallest water slide. The slide is 168-feet tall and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. 'I'm not supposed to be here': Penn doc on mission to find treatments, PennDOT worker remains seriously injured after hit-and-run. -- 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 in the wake of the incident last Sunday. It's like jumping off the Empire State Building. Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website. Caleb died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, while riding the Verruckt, a water slide that's billed as the world's largest, at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kan. (David Strickland / AP) KANSAS . The slide is 168-feet tall and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. We noticed my friends harness was completely off and we overheard him yelling, you know, my harness is off and it had been off from the beginning of the ride, she said Wednesday morning. Celebrities Who Have Proudly Posted Naked Photos, MAFS Season 15 Star Lindy Announces Divorce From Miguel: Split Details, 'OutDaughtered' Star Danielle Busby's Transformation From Wife to Mom, What Your Favorite Celebs Are Doing This Week, Indio Downey Releases Life-Affirming Music Video for 'September', Jordyn Woods Reflects on How Pressures of Fame, Scrutiny Affect Her, Jordyn Woods on Her Future With BF Karl-Anthony Towns: Special Person, Inside the Gabby Petito Case: From Disappearance to Homicide to Lawsuit, Sister Wives Kody, Robyn Were With a Mystery Blonde: Identity Revealed, Megan Fox and MGK's Relationship Is 'Toxic': 'There Is Concern for Her', Farrah Abraham Slams Mom-Shamers Over Daughter Sophias Piercings. 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. 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." Jeff Henry, Verrckt creator and Schlitterbahn co-owner, told USA Today about the several delays in opening the slide in 2014: "We had many issues on the engineering side. KANSAS CITY, Mo. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The slide is 168 feet and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. At 169 feet tall, Verrckt was the tallest waterslide in the world. In early tests, rafts carrying sandbags flew off the slide, prompting engineers to tear down half the ride and reconfigure some angles. On Friday, a state court judge threw out those charges. 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. He described a horrific scene after the boy's death. ABC News talked with Esteban Castaneda, who. . ", But how can a ride this extreme be safe for anyone? "The video, though, is a fictional and dramatized version of events created for entertainment purposes," wrote Burns, who ruled that the video should not have been presented as evidence, according to The New York Times. A company spokeswoman said in a statement that Schlitterbahn's owners embraced the judge's decision, according to the Times. The slide is 168 feet tall and has 264 stairs leading to the top - taller than the Statue of Liberty. It's too awful to even imagine, but now his parents, State Representative Scott Schwab and his wife Michele, are mourning the loss of their young son. Police ID suspect accused of stealing bus from JFK Airport, Kiss reveal last dates of their farewell tour, ending in NYC. Video by Nathan Truesdell At 169 feet tall, Verrckt was the tallest waterslide in the world. Period, he said. We are good at sending thoughts and prayers, Truesdell quipped. Castaneda said he had ridden the slide earlier in the day with his cousin's 14-year-old daughter. Jeffrey Henry, co-owner of the park, and John Schooley, the lead designer of the ride, have been charged with second-degree murder and face charges of aggravated endangerment of a child and aggravated battery. All Rights Reserved. The Velcro straps are just to make you feel safer. "I didn't think much about it," she said. However, the particular ride that killed a 10-year old boy Sunday remains closed. Last year Caleb's family was awarded nearly $20 million in settlement payments from two companies associated with Texas-based Schlitterbahn, along with the ride's general contractor, the raft manufacturer and a consultant on the slide, reports The Kansas City Star. They said all rides are inspected daily before opening. The child was riding on the Verruckt water slide when he died. The slide's name means "insane" in German. That is, until August 7, 2016, when the raft that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was riding went airborne and hit a metal pole supporting a safety net, resulting in his decapitation and instant death. The boy's father, state Rep. Scott Schwab, thanked the community for the outpouring of support his family has received. A lot of our math was based on roller coasters at first, and that didn't translate to a water slide like this. She had told him that her safety belt's Velcro came undone towards the end of her ride. Nathan Truesdell, a filmmaker from nearby Missouri, heard about the devastating incident on the news. Verruckt was certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records. As originally reported by The National ENQUIRER, people at the popular Kansas . 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! Kansas Water Slide Death Pictures, Tom Purcell Viking Net Worth, Turn External Recipients Warnings On Or Off In Gmail, When Your Ex Girlfriend Gets Hotter, Indeed Welding Jobs With Per Diem, Cheltenham Ladies' College Staff List, Had he done it before, and alone? A memorial service is planned for Friday afternoon. The park's spokeswoman didn't return messages Tuesday from The Associated Press seeking comment on the claims. . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Judge Burns also wrote that the jurors heard expert testimony that suggested, incorrectly, that the slides designers did not adhere to legal standards, and that the expert mentioned another, unrelated death at the Schlitterbahn park in Texas. 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. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. The judge also sided with defense attorneys who complained that grand jurors were presented additional evidence that related to a death from a different Schlitterbahn waterpark, reports KMBC. A 12-year-old boy died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, on the Kansas water slide that was billed as the . It was a Sunday afternoon, August 7, 2016, the temperature a pleasant 78 degrees, as ten-year-old Caleb Schwab began the 264-step climb to the top of Verrckt, the world's tallest waterslide, which. John Schooley . Caleb struck the protective overhead netting and the metal poles that supported it, according to court documents previously obtained by PEOPLE. -- 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. Caleb was found dead in a pool at the bottom of the slide. Numerous elected officials and their families were in the park when the tragedy happened. In the aftermath . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "It is with an absolutely broken heart we have to ask for prayers for the Schwab family, who suddenly and tragically lost their sweet and energetic son in an accident today," he wrote. The lifeguard told Castaneda that there was nothing he could do to help. Police say Caleb Schwab was one of three passengers riding in a . Follow her on Twitter (@Spitupnsuburbs), where she chronicles her love of exercising and drinking coffee, but never simultaneously. By Cox Media Group National Content Desk August 10, 2016 at 11:32 am CDT. Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google or Facebook password. She had told him her safety belt's Velcro came undone toward the end of her ride. UPDATE: According to The Washington Post, Schlitterbahn Waterpark and former director of operations, Tyler Austin Miles, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and several counts of aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child, and interference with law enforcement in connection to the death of Caleb Schwab involving the water coaster, Verrckt. The 10-year-old son of Kansas politician Scott Schwab died while riding the world's tallest waterslide, the 17-storey Verruckt, in Kansas City, The Sun reports. The park was closed down after the incident Sunday and remained closed Monday. But on Friday a judge dismissed the charges and said prosecutors had submitted improper evidence.. And although the Schlitterbahn Water Park is for families, this ride in particular is meant to attract so-called "thrill-seekers. ABC News talked with Esteban Castaneda, who. There wasn't a lot of science or ride engineering involved in the testing and design, Truesdell said. Riders are told to hold ropes inside the raft. When the Verrckt slide opened in 2014, it was billed as "the world's tallest water slide.". Henry faced a charge of second-degree murder. As investigators continue to look for answers, chilling new video has emerged - detailing the dangers of the. A lawyer who represented the Schwab family did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Esteban Castaneda told ABC News he first heard a "boom" on Schlitterbahn Waterpark's Verruckt water slide, which is promoted as the world's tallest. 6, See Sister Wives Christine and BF Davids Cutest Moments: Photos, Inside '90 Day Fiance Stars Memphis and Hamzas Custody Battle, Gone Too Soon! Winter Prosapio, a spokeswoman for Schlitterbahn, said the company welcomed the decision. KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) A 10-year-old boy was decapitated as he rode a 168-foot tall waterslide at a water park in Kansas, a person familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. Several passengers who rode the waterslide where a 10-year-old boy was decapitated Sunday said that the rides Velcro-like straps would come loose, and that at least one lifeguard claimed they were just for show. They were accused of reckless behavior in the design, construction and operation of the Verrckt and faced various charges that included aggravated child endangerment and second-degree murder. We want to hear what you think about this article. Jeffrey W. Henry at the Verrckt waterslide that he helped design for a Kansas water park. The slide is 168-feet tall and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. "The indictment said the Verruckt water slide raft at Kansas City's Schlitterbahn Waterpark "went airborne and collided with the overhead hoops and netting" designed to keep . All Rights Reserved. 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 . Police said Caleb suffered a fatal neck injury. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas State Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. Pastor Clint Sprague, the family spokesperson for the Schwab family said they're heartbroken. 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. The deadly accident happened Sunday at the Schlitterbahn Water Park. Castaneda saw the young victim, Caleb Schwab, lying in the water, but he said a lifeguard told him, "There's nothing you can do.". But riders sometimes struck the netting or the poles, and some injuries had already occurred when, in August 2016, Caleb Schwab, 10, got into a raft with two other riders. 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. Removal of the slide had been delayed pending the investigation and trial on the criminal charges, but last year a court gave approval for it to be demolished. Castaneda, who said he hasn't been interviewed by police, said that he started running toward the slide, then heard a lifeguard yelling and a boy screaming hysterically. A memorial service is planned for Friday afternoon. Castaneda said 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. 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. It was at that point that he noticed the boy appeared to have been decapitated. He described a horrific scene after the boy's death. Did he enjoy extreme rides? The slide's name means "insane" in German. 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