‘Verrükt’, Kansas City Water Slide Where 10-Year-Old Boy Was Decapitated Last Summer, To Be Torn Down
Verrükt, the Kansas City waterslide on which 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was decapitated last summer, will be torn down once all investigations into the incident are concluded, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.
In a statement via the company’s website, Schlitterbahn, the company that manages water parks bearing the same name in Kansas City, as well as various cities in Texas, said that tearing down Verrükt is the right thing to do in light of Caleb Schwab’s death.
“Once the investigation is concluded and we are given permission by the court, Verrückt will be decommissioned – closed permanently and the slide removed from the tower. In our opinion, it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy.”
Back in August, Caleb was visiting with his family at the Kansas City, Kansas, Schlitterbahn location, which hosted Verrükt (“Insane” in German), a 168-foot-tall waterslide that was billed at the time as the tallest water slide in the world.
Verrukt waterslide in Kansas to be shut down after Caleb Schwab death https://t.co/l0UZp9UTSU
— Rachael O’Brian (@rachaelobrian_o) November 23, 2016
As the Mirror reported at the time, the 10-year-old was placed on a raft with two adult women, sisters Hannah Barnes and Matraca Baetz. What happened once the ride began remains unclear, but Caleb did not survive the ride. At some point during the ride, he was fatally injured. Witnesses say that he was decapitated.
One witness claimed to have seen the ride streaked with blood, and says he heard Caleb’s brother screaming at a ride attendant.
“I just saw my little brother die because of one of your attractions!”
World’s tallest waterslide to be destroyed following tragic death of Caleb Schwab https://t.co/Z0z1hVXlvW pic.twitter.com/niJ4ceFS9C
— MummyPages Ireland (@MummyPages) November 23, 2016
Another witness described hearing “booms” coming from the slide, then saw a lifeless body sliding down the chute.
According to an August 8 People report, Kansas City police confirmed that Caleb was decapitated. Authorities believe that he was ejected from the raft and sent airborne, and then struck a metal bar.
The women who were on the raft with Caleb also suffered severe facial injuries.
The accident drew attention to the fact that other guests had noticed issues with the ride’s safety restraints. Riders, who were required to be 54 inches tall or taller (it is unclear whether or not Caleb met that height requirement), were strapped into their rafts via two nylon straps secured with velcro. One strap crossed the rider’s body diagonally, like a seat belt in a car, the other crossed the rider’s lap horizontally.
At least one witness claimed that his or her strap was beginning to fail by the end of the ride when they were riding it.
The accident also brought to light the fact that inspections of the attraction may have been lax. Kansas has notoriously lax laws when it comes to safety inspections of amusement park attractions — specifically, the state mandates that permanent amusement park attractions must be inspected at least once per year. However, the law — for which Schlitterbahn and other amusement parks operating in Kansas have lobbied — allows private inspectors to inspect the attractions instead of state inspectors.
Verrükt had been privately inspected — and passed with flying colors — in June, two months before the accident that claimed Caleb Schwab’s life.
As of this writing, no criminal charges and no civil litigation have been filed about the accident, although civil lawsuits are likely forthcoming. Meanwhile, the investigation into the accident continues. Once the investigation is concluded, Verrükt will be torn down. However, there is no timetable for when the investigation will be concluded.
Schlitterbahn plans to put another attraction in Verrükt’s place, although as of this writing the company has not announced what that will be.
[Featured Image by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images]
