"Our park in Kansas City doesn't have a height restriction so we decided to put it right here," said Jeff Henry, Verruckt creator and Schlitterbahn co-owner. The lax regulations and no height restriction for amusement park rides are the main reasons the park's owners chose Kansas City to build their water slide. Schwab, consistently voted against regulating big businesses. Witnesses report hearing Nate screaming hysterically as Caleb's body slid down the chute and came to rest at the bottom.Īerial photos shows the blood-soaked chute where Caleb's body came to rest. Both women suffered facial lacerations from the netting.Ĭaleb's brother Nate, waiting for him at the end of the ride, witnessed the tragedy as it unfolded. There are reports that Caleb's head hit one of the women, fracturing her jaw and causing an eye injury.
His head collided with one of the metal hoop bars supporting the netting.Īt 65 mph, Caleb's head was decapitated above the shoulders. The velcro strap that should have held Caleb in the raft failed, and he was launched into the netting. It was near the top of the smaller hill that Caleb's raft went airborne due to the 3 passengers being under the 400 pound weight limit. The 400 pound weight limit of the passengers was designed to keep the front of the raft from lifting and catching air at the top of the hill. The force of the water jets were adjusted to keep the rafts from flying off the slide. So powerful water jets were added to push the rafts up and over the smaller hill (see photo). Prior test runs showed water friction caused the rafts to come to a dead stop before cresting the smaller hill. The initial 17-story vertical drop straight down was uneventful.īut as the raft crested the 2nd smaller hill, something went horribly wrong. One strap went across his shoulder like a car's seatbelt, and the other strap was secured around his waist.Įarlier riders had complained that the velcro straps failed or came loose during the ride. Other witness accounts stated the scale at the top of the slide was malfunctioning that day.Ĭaleb was secured into the front seat with 2 large velcro straps. Witness accounts on social media stated the weight of the 2 adult women and the boy did not equal 400 pounds. As per policy, the lightest rider (Caleb) was seated in the front of the raft and the heaviest rider sat in the back. So Nate went down the water slide first with 2 adult strangers.Ĭaleb entered the raft with 2 women who were strangers to him. The 2 brothers could not ride the raft together with a 3rd person because the combined weight of all 3 riders didn't meet the specified 400 lb. The 2 boys were weighed on a scale at the bottom of the tower and again on a scale at the top of the tower. There was a break in the net at the bottom of the vertical drop to allow riders to escape if the raft stopped. The safety net was supported by metal hoop bars. News footage of previous test runs shows the rafts flying through the air off the 2nd hill (see video below).Įngineers added the weight requirement and a safety net over the chute to keep the rafts from flying off the water slide. Numerous elected officials and their families were in the park when the tragedy happened.Īccording to witness reports and news footage, Caleb and his brother Nate, 12, climbed the 17-story steps to the top of the water slide tower.Īccording to park policy, 3 riders must weigh a combined minimum of 400 pounds to keep the rubber raft from going airborne off the hill after the initial 17-story, nearly vertical drop.
The Verrückt slide in Kansas is billed as the world's tallest water slide.Ĭaleb, his parents and 3 brothers attended "elected officials day" at the water park on Sunday.
Scott Schwab, was decapitated Sunday on the Verrückt water slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City. Caleb Schwab, 10, Was Decapitated On World’s Tallest Water Slideġ0-year-old Caleb Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep.
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