A boy was decapitated on the world’s largest water slide … and the park knew the ride could kill people
Caleb Schwab died August 7, 2016, when while going down Verruckt his raft went airborne and he was decapitated by a metal hoop that supported a netting system atop the ride
In a quest to be the record holder for the world’s tallest water slide, investigators say Schlitterbahn Waterpark of Kansas City rushed to build a dangerous and structurally complicated ride, ignored glaring safety red flags and replaced mathematical calculations with “crude trial-and-error methods.”
The string of negligence, according to a recently unsealed indictment, resulted in the 2016 death of a 10-year-old boy and more than a dozen injuries.
Caleb Schwab, son of Kansas state Representative Scott Schwab, was decapitated while riding the nearly 50-metre-tall Verrückt, a German word that means “crazy” or “insane”.
On Friday, a year and a half after the boy’s death, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office announced criminal charges against the company and one of its former employees.
Schlitterbahn and Tyler Austin Miles, former director of operations, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and several counts of aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child and interference with law enforcement.
Investigators say the company knew the water slide was unsafe and could result in injuries and deaths but still rushed to open the poorly designed ride to the public.