We are thankful for all the support and encouragement weve received, she added. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. 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. She said the ride's operators sent them down the slide even though their combined weight was 393 pounds shy of the 400 weight minimum the park advertises as a requirement. 10 year old boy Caleb Schwab got decapitated by one of the biggest water slides called "Verrckt" in 2016. 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. Getty/Files. The water park passed a private inspection in June that included Verruckt, according to a document released by a Kansas state agency. Police said the death appeared to be an accident . 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! Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website. It features a 168-foot plummet, during which riders in three-person rafts travel as fast as 45 miles per hour. The dismissed charges were based upon improper "illegal" evidence presented to a grand jury, ruled Judge Robert Burns of Wyandotte County, according to KMBC. Family pastor Clint Sprague told reporters today that Caleb "was an incredible young man" who was "full of life.". The slide is 168-feet tall and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. "We are obviously disappointed and respectfully disagree with the court's decision," Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a statement. A lot of our math was based on roller coasters at first, and that didn't translate to a water slide like this. The slide is 168 feet and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. The lifeguard told Castaneda that there was nothing he could do to help. It's like jumping off the Empire State Building. A memorial service is planned for Friday afternoon. The lifeguard told Castaneda that there was nothing he could do to help. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, The horrific events incident happened onthe 'Verruckt'ride and the boy's brother saw it, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. We want to hear what you think about this article. Anyone can read what you share. Caleb was found dead in a pool at the bottom of the slide. The rafts sometimes lifted from the chute momentarily, and the slide was covered with netting, supported by metal poles, so riders would not fall off. It turned out to be 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was killed on the ride. Dr. Robert Klapper says to start pool exercises as way to improve back, Elizabeth Holmes has 2nd child as she tries to avoid prison, TikTok sets new default time limits for teens. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A Kansas water park plans to tear down a giant water slide on which a 10-year-old boy died in 2016. Market data provided by Factset. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. People also reports the two women riding with Caleb, who were not related to him, suffered minor facial injuries. 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 . 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 . Apparently the owner specifically chose Kansas because they have no height restrictions for water slides. The two women riding in the raft with Caleb suffered minor facial injuries. 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. Period, he said. "[Nathan] was screaming, 'He flew from Verrckt, he flew Verrckt,'" Caleb's mother said. The slide's name means "insane" in German. They were not related to the boy. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. On the day of Calebs accident, the Schwab family had been visiting the water park for Elected Official Day, an annual promotion from Schlitterbahn that offered free admission to Kansas elected officials and their families. 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. Caleb Schwab in June 2016. So they rode it again, only to see the restraint on her son's friend also come loose by the time it was over. Ms Craig said that during her first trip down the ride with her son and one of his friends, her shoulder restraint came off, something she opted not to report to park workers. She said the family rode Verruckt twice in one day a couple of weeks ago. I remember hearing about the accident on the news and thought that the park was going to shut down. A 12-year-old boy died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, on the Kansas water slide that was billed as the . Melissa Willets is a writer/blogger and a mom. 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 . Court documents also reveal that a team of experts who inspected the slide after Caleb's death found "physical evidence that indicated that other rafts had gone airborne and collided with the. Castaneda said he 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. It was supposed to be just another summer day at the Kansas City water park until Jess Sanford and Melanie Gocke witnessed something that would be imprinted on their minds forever: the death. The park was closed down after the incident Sunday and remained closed Monday. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. Schlitterbahn corporation indicted in Kansas water slide death of 10-year-old. ", But how can a ride this extreme be safe for anyone? This is likely where Caleb had been sitting. Authorities did not immediately identify the child who died at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas, but state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife released a statement saying it was their son Caleb Thomas Schwab. The slide's name means "insane" in German. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? A witness named Kelsey Friedrichsen recalls, "It looked like he must have somehow been ejected from his seat, bounced around between the netting and the slide and just slid down. The slide's name means "insane" in German. "It's got to be used in a safe manner, and that doesn't include stopping someone's fall or preventing someone's ejection," Rust said. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? North Dakota news site MyNDNow.com reports the boy's parents were with him at the park that day. Police were investigating the death as a criminal case although police spokesman Cameron Morgan said Tuesday that designation did not mean they suspect foul play. At 169 feet tall, Verrckt was the tallest waterslide in the world. But once I took a closer look, I started to realize how complicated this story really was, and how this could have happened to anyone who went down that slide.. The world's tallest water slide turned deadly on Sunday after a Kansas state lawmaker's son was killed on the attraction. The person . Among those indicted were Jeffrey Wayne Henry, a co-owner of Schlitterbahn Companies and a designer of the waterslide; John Timothy Schooley, also a designer of the slide; and Henry & Sons Construction Company, Inc., the corporation involved in building the slide. ABC News talked with Esteban Castaneda, who. 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." How a Freak Accident Happens. The two women riding in the raft with Caleb suffered minor facial injuries. 6, See Sister Wives Christine and BF Davids Cutest Moments: Photos, Inside '90 Day Fiance Stars Memphis and Hamzas Custody Battle, Gone Too Soon! The two women riding in the raft with Caleb suffered minor facial injuries. In a statement, the Kansas attorney general, Derek Schmidt, did not rule out seeking criminal charges again. Craig described the ride as "very, very rough," so much so that "when I got off, my head hurt.". Along the way, riders clutch ropes along the inside of the raft. They saw a trail of blood follow Caleb Schwabs raft after he was hurled from it into safety netting, suffering catastrophic injuries. The video here is a point-of-view shot of the Giant Verrckt Water Slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, where the son of a state lawmaker died while plummeting down the 168-foot drop! The case focused on a waterslide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kan. KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) The young son of a Kansas state lawmaker died Sunday on a water slide that is billed as the world's largest, according to officials and the boy's family. This Nov. 2013 file photo shows Schlitterbahn's Verruckt speed slide/water coaster in Kansas City. We are obviously disappointed and respectfully disagree with the courts decision, the statement said, adding that prosecutors would take a fresh look at the evidence and applicable law in this tragic and troubling case to determine the best course forward.. Castaneda said he had ridden the slide earlier in the day with his cousin's 14-year-old daughter. The Associated Press contributed to this report. No one had ever done anything like this before. 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." He described a horrific scene after the boy's death. 'I'm not supposed to be here': Penn doc on mission to find treatments, PennDOT worker remains seriously injured after hit-and-run. WARNING: The details in this story are graphic and may not be suitable for all readers. ABC News talked with Esteban Castaneda, who. 1:32 Kansas lawmaker's son dies on 'world's tallest' water slide They also were charged with 17 other felonies, including aggravated battery and aggravated endangerment of a child counts tied. Reserved. The slide is also inspected daily. 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." . He said Caleb was a hugger who loved his parents, sports and Jesus. Pax Jolie-Pitt Walks His Dog During a Rare Outing in Los Angeles, Find Out Vanessa Bryant's Net Worth, How She Makes Money and More, Teen Moms Mackenzie Standifer Files for Divorce Amid Ryan Arrest Drama, Lidia Jimeno Makes 90 Day Fiance: Love in Paradise Debut, '90 Day Fiance' Star Tim Malcolm Reacts to Speculation That He's Gay, Prince Harry Recalls Getting 'in Trouble' at Start of Meghan Relationship, Meet the Cast of TLC's 'Seeking Brother Husband: Premiere Details, More, Pregnant! It was at that point that he noticed the boy appeared to have been decapitated. 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. 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. 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