Schlitterbahn’s reopening drew long lines Wednesday since the ten year old was killed on the park’s 168-foot tall water slide.
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The witnesses told CNN that once Caleb – son of Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab – hit the end of the 17-story slide, his friend frantically called for help.
Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio told The Associated Press outside the park’s entrance Wednesday that the company was not discussing Sunday’s tragedy out of respect for the family.
The boy died while riding the Verruckt.
A person familiar with the investigation into the weekend waterpark accident in Kansas City, Kansas, says the boy killed was decapitated.
A copy of an insurance company inspector’s letter on June 7, provided by the Kansas Department of Labour to the Associated Press, said inspections had been completed.
The Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County said it does not inspect the operations of such rides and is responsible only for ensuring they’ve adhered to local building codes.
Officer Cameron Morgan confirmed Monday that police were investigating the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab.
Documents released Tuesday by the state department showed that in June 2012, a records audit found that the park was not maintaining records of testing for current and previous years.
The Nebraska man said he reported the matter to park workers.
“I think. they figured since stuff was flying out, we better do something to keep people from flying out”, said Martin, who has not seen or tested the ride.
Kenneth Conrad told WDAF-TV that during his trip down the waterslide a year ago with a friend, the friend’s shoulder strap came “completely off”.
Verruckt -which in German means “insane” – featured multi-person rafts that make a 168-foot drop at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, followed by a surge up a hump and a 50-foot descent to a finishing pool.
Kansas City, Kansas, police issued a statement late Monday afternoon saying that Caleb suffered a fatal neck injury around 2:30 p.m. while he was riding the slide with two women, neither of whom was related to him.
The young son of a Kansas state lawmaker died on a water slide that is billed as the world’s largest, according to officials and the boy’s family.
It’s now known the boy was decapitated while he was riding the slide.
Ken Martin, a Richmond, Virginia-based amusement park safety consultant, questioned whether the straps were appropriate, suggesting that a more solid restraint system that fitted over the body, similar to those used in rollercoasters, may have been better.
The ride was meant to open to the public in May 2014, but this date was pushed back due to tests shown in the video above of rafts carrying sandbags flying off the slide, leading engineers to reconfigure parts of the ride.
The ride was also half the size it eventually turned out to be.
He said his shoulder strap “busted loose” during the ride and he “just held on”.
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Verruckt’s 2014 opening repeatedly was delayed, though the operators didn’t explain why.
