We walked past the home where Bob, Billye, and the Henry kids lived five decades ago (its now rented out to Schlitterbahn visitors). I get fired up to come to work and take care of those customers.. Schlitterbahn, meanwhile, is reeling. It was. Ten-year-old Caleb Schwab was decapitated while riding what has been dubbed the worlds tallest water slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, police said. 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 Associated. After his death, it was announced . Questions remain over how exactly Caleb died, including whether the ride or safety equipment as well as the Velcro straps and belt holding him into the raft malfunctioned. The Travel Channel crew asked Jeff why the slide was not working. We added Rollerblade wheels to the boat to make it fly off., Maybe so (the Travel Channel declined to comment), but even if Jeff had been playacting for the cameras, there was something about Verrckt that bothered him. It was quiet. He stepped into the front of the raft, and an employee secured him to his seat with a Velcro belt and a shoulder strap. If any raft had left the surface, that ride should have been shut down, and I would have gone straight there to figure out what was wrong, he said. 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 Verruckt Verrckt is a German word meaning "insane" or "crazy" and may refer to: Verrckt (water slide), a water slide at Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, Kansas, United States, formerly the tallest in . He seemed close to tears. Another witness, who had gone down the slide earlier that day, noted that his cousins 14-year-old daughter, who was in the raft with him, complained that the Velcro on her safety belt had come undone, reports ABC 7 News. I think they need to fix the jostling around like your neck gets pretty (shaken)around like really good and you hit your head a lot, a witness said. Some of his baseball teammates sat in the front row, wearing their jerseys. If the total weight of the three riders was between 400 and 550 pounds, they were sent up the stairs. What Happened To The Boy On The Water Slide? Jeff Henry often said that his goal in life was to make customers of his familys legendary water parks happyto put a smile on their faces, to give them a thrill or two. It was a beautiful vision. To get the project going, a real estate investment trust offered to loan the Henrys $174.3 million. 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. (In 1994 he pleaded guilty to third-degree felony drug possession after he was caught with seventeen ounces of marijuana.) Jeff surveys his most extreme creation, Verrckt, shortly before it opens in 2014. Over the next two days, we spoke four times, despite his lawyers demanding we stop. People got in line to ride Verrckt. Revealed: Brother of 10-year-old Kansas boy who was decapitated on water slide cheated death when they were stopped from riding together Nate Schwab, 12, was planning on riding the Verrckt. Date: Today, 02:00:07 AM EDT. Dozens Injured at Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa Concert, The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. The Kansas House representative's 10-year-old son Caleb was decapitated in front of his . Advocates say that lack of federal oversight, and the fact that regulations vary by state, is problematic since there is no uniform way to oversee the industry. The slide would become the talk of the amusement park industry, he said. Still, neither Jeff nor his siblings offered any public explanation for what had happened. They believed it was a valuable piece of evidence that should not be touched. Calebs head collided with a net and a semicircular metal hoop that arced over the top of the slide. The sounds of the park belowlaughter and shoutingwere nothing more than a faint murmur. Schlitterbahn was perhaps not the scene of a freak horrific accident, the prosecutors were saying, but the scene of a crime. There was no age restrictiononly the height requirementso kids joined the line. Behind him were two young womenone 32 years old and the other 25sisters who lived near the Kansas-Nebraska state line. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. But Jeff, the middle child, wasnt interested at all in a formal education. It was as horrible a moment as you could imagine, a person who was there told me. They eventually agreed that the water park and various companies associated with the design and construction of Verrckt would pay Calebs family a $20 million settlement, an astonishing sum. When the case goes to trial, which isnt likely to happen for at least another year, Jeffs and Schooleys attorneys might use that very argument: that the employees who operated Verrckt made mistakes, such as ignoring maintenance problems, and that Henry and Schooley knew nothing about it. Within a few seconds, the raft reached the bottom of the hill and swooped up the second, 55-foot 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 tragedy. By then, developers from around the country who also wanted a Schlitterbahn were regularly approaching the Henry family with proposals. The two sisters who had ridden behind Caleb, both of whom suffered facial injuries, also received a settlement, of an undisclosed amount. The Verruckt is the largest of its kind in the world. The video was taken two years before this weeks tragedy. Caleb and his father, Scott Schwab, were at the park for a special day for state lawmakers. Caleb Schwab died in front of his family while riding a 168ft-high water . As a boy, he was the classic river rat, a Huck Finn in cutoff shorts who spent almost all his free time on the Comal. Our boat one hundred percent went off the tracks, one woman said. According to People. It was like, No, I dont want to do it.. He asked the Henrys to build a Schlitterbahn water park in Wyandotte County, Kansas, which covers the western half of metro Kansas City. That smooth ride ended on Aug. 7, 2016, when 10-year-old Caleb Schwab died on Verrckt. But it didn't, so I worked there. It was a matter of pride.. Im from Texas, he said later. As they watched one raft crest the hill, Jeff turned to Schooley and said, Man, are they hitting that net up there? As investigators continue to look for answers, chilling new video has emerged detailing the dangers of the worlds tallest waterslide. Suddenly, it was hurtling downward: it must have felt to Caleb as if hed fallen off a skyscraper. Caleb Schwab, 10, was decapitated on a water slide in Kansas five years ago ( Image: KMBC.com) Caleb was killed when his raft became airborne over the slide's 50-foot hump and collided. Over the next several days, more Schlitterbahn employees rode Verrckt without problems, and on July 10, after thirty months of work, the slide opened to the public. You read it quietly and are reminded again that Caleb Schwab should still be here. During his senior year, the school superintendent went to his father and said, Bob, I have to be honest. That boat looked like it flew.. 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Scott Schwab attended a worship service just hours before the lawmaker's 10-year-old son, Caleb, was decapitated on the Verrckt slide at the Schlitterbahn Article continues below advertisement Even those weren't enough to save 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated. EPR Properties, the real estate investment trust in Kansas City that loaned Schlitterbahn $174 million for its Kansas park, has warned its investors that the criminal indictments could hurt Schlitterbahns chances of repaying its loan, which might force EPR to foreclose on the park, along with the parks in New Braunfels and South Padre Island, which had been put up as collateral for the loan. (A single rider, lying on his back, shot straight down the slide, slowed during the long water brake, and finally came to a stop in a runout pool.) Visitors loved the fact that they could park for free and bring their own food and drinks to the picnic areas. Witness Esteban Castenada told ABC 7 News. They then headed to Kansas City to build the 168-foot, 7-inch Verrckt. The slide has been closed since Caleb's death on Aug. 7, 2016. Caleb Schwab died on Aug. 7, 2016, when his raft on Verruckt went airborne on the slide's ascent, causing him to come into contact with a metal pole that supported a net installed to keep . - December 23, 2022. (One rider reported that her head had slammed into the headrest and she sustained a concussion when her raft entered the runout pool at a high speed.) Jeff, who has a streak of P.T. Barnum in him, suddenly blurted out that he and Schooley were going to build the worlds tallest and fastest waterslide at the Kansas City Schlitterbahn. He encircled the park with a man-made river that behaved a lot like a real river, with light rapids, quick drops, and backwater eddies, and he filled the childrens playground with animal sculptures, telescopes, water cannons, giant sand buckets, and small slides that sent kids into shallow pools. Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. Even those werent enough to save 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated. Caleb Schwab died in front of his family while riding a 168ft-high water slide in Kansas, billed as the world's tallest. Every year, an estimated two million visitors go to the parks to plunge down slides, zoom through twisting tube chutes, and float and swim in man-made rivers and enormous pools. He drove an old truck. . Jeff often said that his goal in life was to make Schlitterbahn customers happyto put a smile on their faces, togive them a thrill or two, he told me during one of our conversations this summer. He also kept working for his father. An employee pushed a button, and the raft would take off. OLATHE, Kan. Friends and family of Caleb Schwab, 10, who died Sunday, Aug. 7 at Schlitterbahn Water Park gathered Friday at LifeMission Church, 16111 S. Lone Elm Rd., in Olathe to celebrate his (The same netting system had been placed on Schlitterbahns Master Blaster rides.) Decapitated 10-Year-Old. Caleb was killed when his raft became airborne over the slide's 50-foot hump and collided with a metal bar supporting the safety net. KANSAS CITY, Kan. As more information comes out about what happened to cause 10-year-old Caleb Schwab's tragic death, the concern over amusement park safety grows. A light breeze rattled the leaves. The allegation that we operated, and failed to maintain, a ride that could foreseeably cause such a tragic accident is beyond the pale of speculation. Jana, the youngest, would attend what was then known as Southwest Texas State University, in nearby San Marcos, and major in fashion merchandising. I think about all the great customers who choose to come to a Schlitterbahn to spend their family vacations. In October 2012, Jeff was at an amusement park industry trade show with his chief collaborator, John Schooley, a soft-spoken, silver-haired former yacht builder who had constructed slides at water parks in Asia before coming to New Braunfels to work for Jeff in 1998. He always thought he was right., Yet Jeff made no apologies. I get up every day and think about all the great people who work at Schlitterbahn, he said. Schwab was elected Kansas secretary of state in November. Although the federal governments Consumer Product Safety Commission has the authority to set safety standards for such products as baby cribs and bicycles, it has no authority to regulate water parks. Where to park for free at Clearwater Beach? City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. When I returned the call several hours later, just after 7 a.m., he picked up on the first ring. He also heatedly denied allegations that he had been worried about Verrckts dangers as he was building it, chuckling mirthlessly when he told me hed been acting when he made his fearful on-camera comments, a few of which were quoted verbatim in the indictment. According to Texas Department of Insurance spokesman Jerry Hagins, the inspector is charged only with making sure that the ride is in sound condition and meets the manufacturers specifications. In other words, a water park is allowed to police itself. For a couple of minutes, I watched some kids zip down one of the chutes, grinning from ear to ear. On a 25-acre piece of property that the Henrys bought, three blocks east of the main park, he erected two rides that he had co-created with a former surfer turned inventor named Tom Lochtefeld. Schlitterbahn co-owner, Jeff Henry, reportedly said that there were engineering challenges behind the design with calculations originally based on roller coasters rather than water slides, according to USA Today. She said: "He was screaming: 'He flew from Verruckt! A humid breeze presses down on the dead summer grass. Reporters from the San Antonio Express-News also revealed that in September 2013, Jeffs second wife, Louise Settree, had claimed in divorce papers that he had assaulted, battered, beat and tormented her during their nearly five-year marriage and that his use of alcohol and drugs had contributed to the horrific assaults. His treatment of her, Settree claimed, was so extreme in degree . According to investigators, Miles hadnt even ordered repairs when a Schlitterbahn manager informed him, on July 15, 2016 (three weeks before Calebs death), that maintenance work on Verrckts brake system was a priority. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Some experts believe that his death was because of the uneven distribution of weight. The plans would eventually call for hotels, rental cabins, hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail outlets, and a residential area surrounding the park. [2] On August 7th, 2016, Caleb tragically died in a Schlitterbahn Kansas Citywater park accident in Kansas City, Missouri. Here are 4 things you can do to improve, The State of Black Tampa Bay: An Exclusive Town Hall, New Ybor speakeasy honors Madame Fortune Taylor,, Does your ex have a warrant? Onlookers prevented Calebs mother from witnessing the scene. This past spring, Kansas City prosecutors began meeting with a grand jury, and in late March, the jury issued indictments. 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 worlds tallest waterslide, which loomed like a colossus over the forty-acre Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. . The Schwab family is mourning the death of their 10-year-old son, and the community is mourning as well. A humid breeze presses down on the dead summer grass. But the first time, you dont know. Kelsey Friedrichsen was visiting the park . Had there been a problem with the distribution of the three passengers weight that caused the raft to lift off into the air? Calebs parents, Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele said in a statement Sunday: Since the day he was born, [Caleb] brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with. A memorial service is planned for Friday, according to ABC 7 News. It was reported that the boy died on the world's tallest water slide in Kansas. (Bob died in October 2016, after a long illness, and Billye died in her sleep last year.) Some people say that beca Shocked theme park visitors were left traumatised after watching Caleb die. In 1998 the New Braunfels Schlitterbahn was named the countrys Best Waterpark in a poll conducted by, In October 2012, Jeff was at an amusement park industry trade show with his chief collaborator, John Schooley, a soft-spoken, silver-haired former yacht builder who had constructed slides at water parks in Asia before coming to New Braunfels to work for Jeff in 1998. It details the possibilities of what could potentially happen on the ride known as the Verruckt a German word meaning insane or crazy. He apparently enjoyed smoking pot. In 1998 the New Braunfels Schlitterbahn was named the countrys Best Waterpark in a poll conducted by Amusement Today. ), Man, are they hitting that net up there? He added, Neither did Henry Ford, and he built the car., Jeff returned to Texas and stayed out of public view, splitting his time between a condo he owns in South Padre and a home he owns outside New Braunfels on a remote piece of property a short walk away from the grave sites of his mother and father. Two women that were also on the ride suffered minor injuries. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. John Schooley, who designed the killer slide, and fellow co-owner Jeff Henry originally faced charges of involuntary manslaughter and a number of others over Caleb's death, but the charges were dropped in 2019 owing to "improper evidence and testimony". The idea for Verrckt came from 63-year-old Jeff Henry, who co-owned the Schlitterbahn parks with his older brother, Gary, and younger sister, Jana, and acted as the companys chief visionary, a conjurer of splashy joyrides. But prosecutors could tell the jury that Jeff and Schooley knew very well that Verrckt could lead to a catastrophe, yet they continued to push forward. And that never worried the people around him. He said he wanted to raise their three children in a small town, just as he had been raised. Police launched an investigation. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A 10-YEAR-old boy was decapitated while riding a water slide in front of his horrified mom and brother in one of the US' worst theme park tragedies. The Schwab family may also file a personal injury claim on behalf of Caleb. Caleb, his parents and 3 brothers attended "elected officials day" at the water park on Sunday. Thank you for bringing me here, he once said to his dad. The first was the Boogie Bahn, which allowed riders to actually surf on boogie boards over a thin, fast-flowing sheet of water that shot over a sloped surface. It broke the Guinness World Record for tallest water slide. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. Schlitterbahn initially seemed to be policing itself just fine. At Calebs funeral at the LifeMission Church in Olathe, five days after his death, the grief among the mourners was overwhelming. How do you indict someone for murder if you dont know what happened? he asked at one point. Police have revealed that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab - who was involved in a fatal accident at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City on Sunday - died of a "neck injury," PEOPLE confirms.. (At that point, there were fewer than a half dozen water parks around the U.S.) Jeff quickly got on the phone to tell Bob and Billye all about it. The others are in Texas: in New Braunfels, South Padre Island, Galveston, and Corpus Christi. But one of his lawyers acknowledged that Jeff didnt have such training. Her friend Jess Sanford added: "I only saw Caleb slide down the last half of the slide, and then I saw the blood. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. So he invented what he described as a water brake, a dip at the end of the slide that slowed the guests down. Table of contents what happened to caleb schwab kansas city? However, after a redesign and more tests, Henry said the ride, although still dangerous, was safe: its a safe dangerous now.. That would entitle the family to no more than $300,000 in additional non-economic damages, bringing recovery up to . You really dont know.. I thought we had designed the biggest, baddest thing ever built, a ride that could operate safely and never have a serious accident, ever, if things were complied with and if the thing was maintained and operated as designed. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. (Even an astronaut couldnt handle it, Jeff later told me. I remember hearing about the accident on the news and thought that the park was going to shut down. Dad Scott previously told Good Morning America of the last time he spoke to Caleb just before he set off for the ride, which has now been torn down. The Verrckt slide in Kansas is billed as the world's tallest water slide. A detective interviewed 29-year-old Tyler Miles, who had been working at the park since 2013 and had advanced from construction worker to lifeguard to director of operations, responsible for all aspects of the parks day-to-day ride operations. Billye ran the cafe, and Gary, Jeff, and Jana did odd jobs: sweeping out the cabins, mowing the grass, laying brick, shingling, and grouting. He posted a $500,000 bond and surrendered his passport. On April 25, 2014, Jeff climbed to the top of the Verrckt tower with Kansas governor Sam Brownback and officials from Guinness World Records, who proclaimed that Verrckt was indeed the tallest waterslide in the world. They would have to study such factors as the effect of water friction and even wind velocity on the rafts. To make matters worse, the grand jury charged, operations director Miles haddeliberately concealed evidence about Verrckts dangers, going so far as to give a police detective false information. He had the ability to see what other people were doing and then take that to the next level, Gary told me. Until it went horribly wrong. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission only has jurisdiction over traveling amusement parks, like pop-up carnivals. All that came from Schlitterbahn was a statement from company spokesperson Winter Prosapio, who said, We honestly dont know what happened. She added that Schlitterbahn was deeply and intensely saddened for the Schwab family and all who were impacted by the tragic accident., Kansas City reporters began digging. Once again, Jeff later insisted to me that he had been hamming it up for the camera and that he did not in fact see a raft fly off the chute on opening day. Today, August 7, is the fifth anniversary of his horrific death in August 2016. He bought a piece of property next door to the Landa, built a sixty-foot replica of a German castle (to reflect New Braunfelss heritage), and had four blue fiberglass waterslides erected around the castle. Riders must be at least 54 inches tall and the group cannot weigh more than a combined total of 400 to 550 pounds, according to the parks website. You read it quietly and are reminded again that Caleb Schwab should still be here. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital But instead of staying in its fiberglass flume and cresting the hill, the raft flew up into the air. Caleb Thomas Schwab, Kansas Politician's Son, Dies On World's Tallest Water Slide. I watched some other kids at a picnic table happily downing ice cream. 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. (After he had created the 135-foot Insano, a Brazilian company built a body slide that was just under 164 feet.) Republican lawmaker Scott Schwab's son Caleb died on the Verruckt attraction, which means "insane" in German, and has been certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records. "And he said, "Yes, your son is dead'. Finally, in June 2014, after several successful sandbag runs, they decided it was time for humans to ride it. Plus, Jeff always surrounded himself with other knowledgeable people who were able to do the numbers work that he wasnt inclined to do.. The two men were approached by producers from the Travel Channel who said they were looking for an episode to lead off the new season of their popular TV series, This was news to everyone, even at Schlitterbahn. He was found dead at the . Were not sure how to handle Jeff. According to family legend, the superintendent then handed Bob a diploma. Courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. All Rights Reserved. To make Verrckt work, Jeff and Schooley (who also had no formal engineering credentials) and their staff were going to have to figure out the precise details of everything from the slope of Verrckts hills to the size of the rafts. The ride quickly became the parks most popular attraction. Have to study such factors as the effect of water friction and even wind velocity on the dead grass... With seventeen ounces of marijuana. the latest breaking updates, what happened to caleb schwab's head straight to your email inbox boat. 550 pounds, they decided it was hurtling downward: it must have felt to Caleb as if fallen. Caught with seventeen ounces of marijuana. in Kansas is billed as the effect of water and. 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