Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of a state lawmaker, died on Sunday while riding on the Verruckt, a towering water slide at the Schlitterbahn water park that sends riders plunging down from a height of about 17 storeys, at up to 80kmh.
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On Sunday, 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was killed in accident while riding the world’s tallest water slide, the Verruckt. Messages seeking updates Monday morning weren’t immediately returned by police or the park. He was the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab of Olathe, and the family was at the park for Elected Officials Day.
“We feel really bad for his family”, the husband of one of the women said, stating his family wanted to remain anonymous for now.
While it appears the boy’s death was an accident, police said they must examine it as a crime until the evidence indicates otherwise. Two women who rode with Schwab’s son also suffered injuries and were hospitalized after the ride, according to their relatives who spoke with WDAF-TV.
A Schlitterbahn spokesman today stated that Verruckt, the water slide that was the site of a fatal accident on Sunday, will not reopen for the remainder of this season.
Park officials said the park, which has been closed since Sunday, will reopen on Wednesday.
Each rider on the Verruckt must be at least 54 inches tall, and the group’s weight is limited to a total of 400 to 550 pounds.
“Every teacher said, ‘What a joy to have him”.
The 2014 opening of Verruckt was delayed multiple times, though the operators didn’t explain why.
In early tests, rafts carrying sandbags flew off the slide, prompting engineers to tear down half of the ride and reconfigure some angles at a cost of $1 million, Henry said. A promotional video about building the slide includes footage of two men riding a raft down a half-size test model and going slightly airborne as it crests the top of the first big hill.
Kansas statutes governing amusement rides don’t specifically mention waterslides.
The Department of Labor “has the authority to “conduct random” inspections of the records and certificates of inspection, along with any other documentation related to statutory compliance”, the Department of Labor said. In Kansas, parks are overseen by the state Department of Labor, which said today that, while “safety reviews and regulatory compliances fall to various entities”, parks in the state are required to have an annual safety inspection by officials licensed by the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials.
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.
Prosapio said during the news conference that the park’s rides are inspected daily and inspected by an “outside party” before the start of each season.
The Kansas Department release said it has requested documentation from Schlitterbahn to ensure all safety requirements were followed.
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This version of the story corrects the last name on the byline.
