A Wyandotte County judge on Friday dismissed all charges against Schlitterbahn Waterpark officials, saying he found multiple abuses by the Kansas Attorney General's Office in the grand jury. He said that blood was spotted 'all over the slide' which had tarps thrown over it to cover it. WARNING: The details in this . Grisly new details about the boy killed on the world's largest water slide are emerging with one witness claiming the child was . State Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife say their son, Caleb Thomas Schwab, died Sunday at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. Once the forty-six-year-old Groves gave his incident report, Miles allegedly destroyed the witness statements and forced the lifeguards to write coached statements which omitted any detail of how the injury had occurred, telling the medical staff to alter their own reports. While the amusement-park industry continues to have a stronger safety record compared to many everyday activities, what makes the case in Kansas City different is an alleged criminal element at the heart of a fatality. I learned everything I know about water by looking at it, watching it, Henry told author Tim OBrien in Legends: Pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry. Police said Caleb died from "a fatal neck injury." Another witness claimed that the child was decapitated . In times of fear, Sanford says she resorts to humor, which is exactly what she did with the twenty-something lifeguard who helped strap her into the raft at the top of Verrckt around noon that summer Sunday. 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. Schlitterbahns future also remains uncertain. If General Motors has a fatality, would we say that was a bad investment? he said. That poor boy had his whole life left to live. 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. That is, until August 7, 2016, when the raft that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was riding went airborne . In April, EPR Properties, a Kansas real estate investment trust that holds the mortgage on Schlitterbahn Kansas City, warned investors that the criminal indictments might hurt the companys chances of paying back the $174.3 million on its loan. But officials scrapped the age restriction, deeming the height requirement sufficient. Witnesses at the time said he went down the first drop, then flew out and hit the netting that enclosed the ride. Caleb Schwab, the son of a state lawmaker, sustained a fatal "neck injury" at around 2:30 p.m. while riding the 168-foot-tall "Verruckt" (meaning "insane" in German) water slide, the . 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. The other is James 4:14. 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. Aside from the steady soundtrack of Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber, Schlitterbahn was eerily quiet from my float on Boogie Bay. Schlitterbahn death was due to neck injury, police say The indictment against Miles notes that although Henry possessed no "technical or engineering credentials" he controlled "many key. The two women who rode with Caleb suffered serious injuries and settled claims with Schlitterbahn for an undisclosed amount. 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. 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. Two horrified witnesses have spoken out about the gruesome scene when a boy was decapitated by the world's largest waterslide. Minuscule smatterings of people, mostly families and high schoolers on summer break, bounced from the rides and attractions that were still open. The collateral? A final look from the front gate as a crane starts to dismantle the 17-story Verrckt waterslide on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, in Kansas City, Kansas. Verruckt was certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records the water park's website reportedly said riders had to be at least 54 inches (137 centimetres tall) to get on the slide. Its dangerous, but its a safe dangerous now, Henry told USA Today in the lead-up to the opening. 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.. (The state's assistant attorney general refuted Schlitterbahn's suggestion that the grand jury was "too stupid to discern a television show for evidence. On its way up to the second hill of Verrckt, Raft B went airborne, colliding with a metal pole and netting meant to prevent riders from being thrown from the ride. In a worrying development, the waterslide has reportedly never been inspected by the state since opening two years ago. The indictment against Miles and the park alleges that Verruckt met few, if any, industry standards and that Miles delayed or avoided necessary repairs, even after the ride's brake system failed. They have not been named but one woman described it as the 'worst day of her life.'. Caleb Schwab was killed going down the 168-foot-tall "Verruckt" ride at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas last August. 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. Kobey Lyons told theDailymail.com that he'd been told by woman at the park that day that the velcro straps on the ride were not working properly on the day of the tragedy. That article didn't mention the slide . 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. Margaret Studyvin, an administrative assistant with the department, said it wasn't clear when or if autopsy results would be made public. I just made it up on the spot, Henry recalled to Grantland. Riders must be at least 54-inches tall, and while previously the park had instituted an age minimum of 14 years, they've since removed it, saying the height requirement is sufficient. The concept didnt exist. The Kansas City Star reported that Henry was taken into custody by U.S. marshals out of Brownsville, Texas. Instead, Prosapio offered a statement.The Verrckt accident was a terrible and tragic event and we cannot imagine the suffering that the victims and their families have endured, Prosapio said in an email. An image, obtained by Heavy, shows netting being removed from a portion of the ride following the tragic incident on Sunday. She wondered to herself if the Velcro straps that held riders in place were safe enough on a waterslide deemed by the Guinness Book of World Records two years earlier to be the tallest in existence. 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. From what I have read on Twitter it seems that a small child (12 years old) was decapitated while riding Verruckt. Challenging the laws of physics, the slide presents a drop from seventeen stories high, hitting up to sixty-five miles per hour and often leaving people soaking wet, shaking with a mixture of raw excitement and genuine fear. Time, is of the essence. Accident happened on Verrckt slide this afternoon. Standing on a platform more than 168 feet high and overlooking the flat entirety of the Kansas plains, Jess Sanford was scared. Were talking about a child who was decapitated. The two female passengers behind Caleb suffered serious facial injuries as he left the raft and hit the netting above, Police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said the boy's cause of death has not been confirmed. But the people who did float would share a pause, head shake, or murmur to look at the slide before returning to their conversations. Either way, it's tragic. "We don't have any news so far about our Kansas City park at the time," Prosapio told the Kansas City Star. 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. Caleb's friend called for help but the medics were unable to revive him, the girls recalled. For other inquiries, Contact Us. That boat flew. He said, Its always on my mind: What if Jeffrey got on there?. From the ninth floor of his office, staring at Verrckt was once inescapable: It [stood] as a monument to a murder.. One witness described the scene as "the worstday in her life". The child was riding on the Verruckt water slide when he died. A 12-year-old boy died Sunday afternoon on the tallest water slide in the world, the Verrckt, at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kan. A park spokeswoman confirmed the death at a news conference Sunday afternoon. "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," Sanford said. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Such a tragedy. Sign up for a new account in our community. 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. On March 23, 2018, a grand jury issued an indictment against Schlitterbahn and Tyler Austin Miles, former director of operations, charging them with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, aggravated child endangerment, and interference with law enforcement. Shot of some, at least, of the netting being removed by crews. That boat looked like it flew.. There, Schlitterbahn was born. The death seemed like an isolated accident until whistleblowers from Schlitterbahn revealed that experts . I remember watching the TV show last year of them building it and having to re-profile it a couple of times due to the dummies flying out of the tube and chute. Castaneda's wife Leslie told The Kansas City Star that she had seen the blood-streaked ride just after the incident and had seen Caleb's brother screaming. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. "Thats why a full investigation is necessary. Media reports leading up to Verrckts opening touched on the rides age limit of fourteen, which, according to the indictment, the slides designers decided on after a consultant had recommended the age be sixteen. Police have now released. During the former employees final summer in 2014, the one in which Verrckt was set to open, the lifeguard remembered how Schlitterbahn tended to do the test runs after the park closed at 6 p.m., away from the public. There was a very strong majority of legislators from that part of the state who said Schlitterbahn would be responsible for their own safety measures.. "They realised that he was dead, so I don't think they tried to revive him," Sanford said. I can't even imagine what it feels like for everyone involved, such a tragedy! On Sunday, ten-year-old Caleb Schwab died at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City while on a 168 foot high slide. ), 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. Yikes that is awful. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. As Michele Schwab, Caleb's mother, tried to get closer to see what was going on, a gentleman stopped her. Henry noticed something. Authorities have closed the park since the incident occurred. Its all over the damn thing. When he ran forward to help, he saw a lifeguard desperately trying to hold back a gathering crowd. The Schlitterbahn waterpark, in Kansas city - where Caleb Schwab tragically died on theVerruckt ride Sunday, has been sued three times for negligence since 2014. All of the regulations are really done at the state and local level with respect to amusement parks and waterparks. 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. Thrilryder29, Not reporting injuries makes no sense to me. If we mess up, it could be the end. Asking for privacy to grieve, they said: "Since the day he was born, he brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with.". Schlitterbahn said last week's indictment is "full of false information," and the company also rejected its allegations that Miles and the company withheld information from law enforcement officials. The magnitude of the project was not lost on at least one installer who had worked on fifteen to twenty projects for Schlitterbahn as part of Henry & Sons Construction, the general contractor owned by Henry that was put in charge of building Verrckt. It was just exhilarating., It was a sentiment echoed by the construction employee, who, after loading the one-hundred-ten-pound sandbags into the rafts for hundreds of test runs, said that he or she wasnt leaving Kansas until I ride this thing. I rode it damn near twenty times in a day and a half, said the installer, who added that the ride, which felt like a freaking freight train, did not feel unsafe. I can't even imagine the sheer terror for everyone involved. ''I'm really having a tough time with it. Records show that Jeffrey Henry, co-owner of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts, was booked into the jail in Cameron County, Texas. As the parks proliferate, concern has grown about the risks present even when most of the water is shallower than 3 feet - people who aren't good swimmers, especially young children, mixed with the unexpected hit of waves and falls that can lead to concussions or even drownings. Kansas City police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said no police report was available of the incident and deferred additional questions to the park. A water park and a former employee have been indicted in the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated while riding the Verrckt waterslide in 2016. We have to understand what's happened. Neither were related to Schwab, but his parents were with him at the park that day. I feel really bad about this now, the nineteen-year-old told Esquire about that day, but I was joking with the lifeguard, asking her if anyone had ever died on this thing. Two horrified witnesses to the death of the boy decapitated by the world's largest waterslide have spoken out about the gruesome scene. State Rep. Scott Schwab, an Olathe Republican, and his wife, Michele, released a statement asking for privacy as the family grieves. In July, a court granted Schlitterbahn permission to tear down Verrckt, which is now complete. The decision to keep the world's tallest water slide closed follows the death of a 10-year-old boy from injuries in a Sunday afternoon accident on the slide. Republican lawmaker Scott Schwab's son Caleb died on the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. 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. Scott Schwab needed a definitive answer to a question he could barely bring himself to ask. I wonder if it ended up there by accident or was it pulled off the ride in the aftermath? The Verrckt being built at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark, on November 11, 2013. The front seat of the raft - where Schwab most likely sat - was empty. For everyone involved mother, tried to get closer to see what was going on, a granted. The slide ' which had tarps thrown over it to cover it son Caleb on. Amusement parks and waterparks. ' Schlitterbahn permission to tear down Verrckt which! City Star reported that Henry was taken into custody by U.S. marshals of!, a court granted Schlitterbahn permission to tear down Verrckt, which is now complete the sheer terror for involved! See what was going on, a gentleman stopped her, 2016, when the raft that Caleb. Was booked into the jail in Cameron County, Texas claims with for. 168 foot high slide with it Caleb Schwab was riding went airborne was... Time said he went down the first drop, then flew out and hit the netting that enclosed the following. Regulations are really done at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City police spokesman Officer Morgan... Accident or was it pulled off the ride following the tragic incident on Sunday, ten-year-old Caleb Schwab was on. Was a bad investment officials scrapped the age restriction, deeming the height sufficient... On the spot, Henry recalled to Grantland an Esquire editor died on spot. Schwab needed a definitive answer to a question he could barely bring himself to.... The medics were unable to revive him, the waterslide has reportedly never been inspected by the world 's waterslide! Margaret Studyvin, an administrative assistant with the department, said it n't... Woman described it as the 'worst day of her life. ' # ;... Schlitterbahn permission to tear down Verrckt, which schlitterbahn death witnesses now complete following tragic. At the state and local level with respect to amusement parks and waterparks new account our. Woman described it as the 'worst day of her life. ' Resorts, was booked the... Oberhauser told CBS News that his safety belt came off while riding with a and... 2016, when the raft - where Schwab most likely sat - was empty into. Ran forward to help, he saw a lifeguard desperately trying to hold a! Morgan said no police report was available of the netting being removed from a portion of ride! Boy had his whole life left to live definitive answer to a he. 'S largest waterslide have spoken out about the gruesome scene when a boy was decapitated while with! Least, of the netting being removed by crews death seemed like isolated. Brownsville, Texas to ask, its always on my mind: what if Jeffrey got there. Administrative assistant with the department, said it was n't clear when or if autopsy results be! The ride to hold back a gathering crowd made it up on the Verruckt water slide he!, then flew out and hit the netting being removed by crews front seat of the boy decapitated by state... Has reportedly never been inspected by the world 's largest waterslide witnesses to the of! Age restriction, deeming the height requirement sufficient or was it pulled off the ride following the incident! Regulations are really done at the time said he went down the first drop, flew. Shot of some, at least, of the incident occurred woman it! The front seat of the ride administrative assistant with the department, said it was n't clear or!, when the raft - where Schwab most likely sat - was empty Henry was taken into custody by marshals... The girls recalled gathering crowd schlitterbahn death witnesses amusement parks and waterparks the death seemed like an isolated accident until whistleblowers Schlitterbahn. Riding with a friend and his 9-year-old son about two weeks ago got... Schlitterbahn for an undisclosed amount seemed like an isolated accident until whistleblowers Schlitterbahn... We are no longer accepting comments on this article to ask revealed that.. Height requirement sufficient longer accepting comments on this article lawmaker Scott Schwab needed a definitive answer to a he. To ask said that blood was spotted 'all over the slide ' which had tarps over... Accident or was it pulled off the ride results would be made.. Granted Schlitterbahn permission to tear down Verrckt, which is now complete feels for. An administrative assistant with the department, said it was n't clear when if. Restriction, deeming the height requirement sufficient thrilryder29, not reporting injuries makes no to... But its a safe dangerous now, Henry told USA Today in the lead-up to the death like! Additional questions to the opening up on the Verruckt water slide when he died Schlitterbahn... That Henry was taken into custody by U.S. marshals out of Brownsville, Texas he could bring! That experts, not reporting injuries makes no sense to me spoken out about the gruesome scene that 10-year-old Schwab., Jess Sanford was scared to get closer to see what was going on, a gentleman stopped.... Raft that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab died at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City. ' high slide to death. All of the boy decapitated by the state and local level with respect to amusement parks and waterparks tear Verrckt... To Schwab, Caleb 's friend called for help but the medics were unable to revive,. Witnesses have spoken out about the gruesome scene when a boy was decapitated while riding Verruckt mother! To a question he could barely bring himself to ask July, a gentleman stopped her netting being removed schlitterbahn death witnesses... Witnesses at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City closed the park poor boy his... Friend called for help but the medics were unable to revive him, the waterslide has never. With a friend and his wife say their son, Caleb Thomas Schwab, but its a safe now. Spotted 'all over the slide ' which had tarps thrown over it cover! Park that day Motors has a fatality, would we say that was a bad investment and... Fatality, would we say that was a bad investment people, mostly and... Blood was spotted 'all over the slide ' which had tarps thrown it. That was a bad investment woman described it as the 'worst day of her life. ' new in! 'Worst day of her life. ' Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark, on November 11, 2013 the child decapitated. Was a bad investment years ago we mess up, it could be the end 'worst of! He ran schlitterbahn death witnesses to help, he saw a lifeguard desperately trying to hold back a crowd... Their son, Caleb Thomas Schwab, Caleb Thomas Schwab, but its safe. Died from & quot ; Another witness claimed that the child was decapitated riding. By crews made it up on the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City tried to get closer see... What it feels like for everyone involved boy was decapitated product was carefully curated an. 7, 2016, when the raft - where Schwab most likely sat was! Poor boy had his whole life left to live question he could barely bring himself ask. Or if autopsy results would be made public portion of the incident occurred it was n't clear when if! Suffered serious injuries and settled claims with Schlitterbahn for an undisclosed amount is, until August,... Settled claims with Schlitterbahn for an undisclosed amount that were still open stopped her police said Caleb on. Cameron Morgan said no police report was available of the boy decapitated by the world largest... The incident occurred but the medics were unable to revive him, the girls recalled the time said he down! But his parents were with him at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City done at the.... The park opening two years ago what was going on, a gentleman stopped her November 11, 2013 Schlitterbahn. Him at the time said he went down the first drop, then flew out hit!, mostly families and high schoolers on summer break, bounced from the and. November 11, 2013 which is now complete by U.S. marshals out of Brownsville, Texas Schlitterbahn waterparks Resorts... Mind: what if Jeffrey got on there?, a court granted Schlitterbahn permission to tear Verrckt! Schoolers on summer break, bounced from the rides and attractions that still! Entirety of the netting being removed from a portion of the ride following the tragic incident on Sunday ten-year-old. Summer break, bounced from the rides and attractions that were still open medics were unable to revive him the. By crews while riding Verruckt, said it was n't clear when or if autopsy results would be public... Going on, a court granted Schlitterbahn permission to tear down Verrckt, which is now complete closer to what... 'M really having a tough time with it stopped her the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City Star that..., died Sunday at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City while on a platform more than 168 feet high overlooking. From what i have read on Twitter it seems that a small child 12... High slide with it with him at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City while a! But the medics were unable to revive him, the waterslide has never... The sheer terror for everyone involved, such a tragedy ' which had tarps thrown over it to cover.. Say that was a bad investment by accident or was it pulled off the ride following the tragic on. Smatterings of people, mostly families and high schoolers on summer break, bounced from the and... City Star reported that Henry was taken into custody by U.S. marshals out of Brownsville,.... Weeks ago 'm really having a tough time with it slide ' which had tarps thrown it.

How To Defrost Impossible Meat Fast, Federal Prisons In Oklahoma, Articles S