Police and Schlitterbahn Waterpark have yet to explain how Caleb sustained a fatal neck injury on the 168-foot-tall ride, which the park said Tuesday would be closed for the remainder of the season.
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Olathe Representative Scott Schwab and his wife Michele released a statement Sunday after the death of their son.
Upon the death of his second son, Scott said that Caleb “brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with” since the day that he was born.
“We honestly don’t know what’s happened”, said spokesperson Winter Prosapio, who added, “To be honest, this is not something we’ve experienced”.
The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department released new information on the death investigation at Schlitterbahn Water Park.
KCTV5’s Brad Stephens, Carolyn Long and Emily Rittman took the plunge on Verruckt after all it wasn’t everyday the world’s tallest and fastest water slide opens in your city.
Police and Prosapio did not provide details of how the child died or the child’s identity.
Before being allowed to climb the stairs to Verruckt, two or three riders at a time step onto a scale to make sure their combined weight isn’t over 550 pounds. They received minor facial injuries from the incident. She said the company would have no further comment and wouldn’t grant any interviews.
Some park guests say the slide’s harness wasn’t working properly earlier in the day. “I saw his (Caleb’s) brother”. He says he told workers about the loose strap. “(Caleb) looked skinny. He shouldn’t have been on that ride”.
State law leaves it to the Kansas Department of Labor to adopt rules and regulations relating to certification and inspection of rides, adding that an amusement ride at a permanent location “shall be self-inspected by a qualified inspector at least every 12 months”.
Head and neck injuries were the most common at 28%, with 1.5% of the injuries requiring hospitalization, the study said.
ASTM, founded as the American Society of the International Association for Testing and Materials, does provide some industry-wide guidelines for rides and water slides, but Martin claimed that numerous park operators themselves create these rulings, which are voluntary to begin with. About 30,000 of these cases involved those under age 18.
Verrückt, 17 stories high – higher than Niagara Falls – propels riders at 50 miles per hour. Its name translates as “insane” in German.
Its height of 168 feet 7 inches is 5 feet taller than the previous record holder, a water slide at a Rio de Janeiro country club. It is 5 feet taller than the previous record holder, a water slide at a Rio de Janeiro country club.
The grand opening of Verruckt was delayed several times for several weeks and the reasons left some uneasy.
Investigators are treating this right now as a civil matter, not a criminal incident. So we were able to redesign it from what we learned.
Two years in the making, the slide was designed and constructed by the Schlitterbahn Development Group.
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The park was cleared following the accident and closed while investigators from multiple agencies arrived on scene.
