Police say Caleb Schwab was one of three passengers riding in a boat on the Verruckt water slide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark. He was “full of life, loved baseball, basketball, soccer”.
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“The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department would like to express our honest condolences to the Schwab family on the tragic loss of their son Caleb Schwab”, police said in a statement.
Kansas City TV station KCTV reported that the park told the station at the time that the ride was “not behaving properly”, after which netting was added around the slide.
“Caleb was an incredible young man”, the family’s pastor, Clint Sprague, told a news conference.
Pettey said in a telephone interview she left the park before the incident that led to the boy’s death.
The two women from a small town near the Nebraska-Kansas state line were in a raft along with Caleb Schwab, 10, who was killed on the Verrückt ride Sunday afternoon.
Advocates said the lack of federal oversight means issues with water park regulation aren’t limited to Kansas.
The Kansas City Star said the park was teeming with children of legislators and their parents enjoying free passes when the accident occurred. Those numbers do not include other water park injuries or those who need lifeguard assistance without a hospital trip. The Verrückt slide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark is the tallest in the world.
“A lady in front of me said that multiple times she rode the ride today, the Verruckt, and that the front harness did not work any of the times that she rode it”, said park guest Jessica Lundquist.
The women were not related to Caleb, the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab and Michele Schwab of Olathe.
Park officials said in a statement that Schlitterbahn Kansas City would remain closed at least until Wednesday, while the slide would be shut down during the course of the investigation.
The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission says state law limits contributions by lobbyists to a GoFundMe campaign to cover the funeral expenses for a state lawmaker’s son who died at a water park.
The park has been closed since the incident took place on Sunday and so far, an opening date has not been told.
“We don’t have any idea what happened to this boy”, he said.
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The apparent shift away from the age restriction could be one of the questions in determining liability, according to CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman, who said the park owner and ride designer face potential legal troubles over Schwab’s death. Co-owner Jeff Henry referred to the ride on the water slide as the “scariest thing” he’s ever done and likened it to “jumping off the Empire State Building”.
