That was really exciting because we truly didnt know whether we were going to survive it or not, he says. She said the family rode Verruckt twice in one day a couple of weeks ago. A 12-year-old boy died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, on the Kansas water slide that is billed as the world's largest, according to officials. 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. The water park passed a private inspection in June that included Verruckt, according to a document released by a Kansas state agency. People also reports the two women riding with Caleb, who were not related to him, suffered minor facial injuries. It was supposed to be just another summer day at the Kansas City water park until Jess Sanford and Melanie Gocke witnessed something that would be imprinted on their minds forever: the death. Numerous elected officials and their families were in the park when the tragedy happened. I wouldn't be surprised if they lack regulations on safety harnesses as well. But riders sometimes struck the netting or the poles, and some injuries had already occurred when, in August 2016, Caleb Schwab, 10, got into a raft with two other riders. She said the ride's operators sent them down the slide even though their combined weight was 393 pounds shy of the 400 weight minimum the park advertises as a requirement. Castaneda said he noticed a lifeguard was trying to push the crowd back from the slide, but he continued to try to help because he thought there was someone lying face down in the water. The Verrckt German for "crazy" or "insane" had been named the world's tallest waterslide by Guinness World Records. All rights reserved. 2023 Update, Inside Teen Moms Ryan and Mackenzie Edwards' Relationship Timeline, Find Out Which 'Teen Mom OG' and 'Teen Mom 2' Couples Are Still Together. TheAtlantic.com Copyright (c) 2023 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. 90 Day Fiance Stars Weve Lost Over the Years, Still Together? Caleb Schwab died Sunday on a slide at the . Sara Craig, who took her 14-year-old son and his friend to the park on Wednesday said: "I feel guilty having fun when a family is hurting so badly.. Jeffrey W. Henry at the Verrckt waterslide that he helped design for a Kansas water park. She had told him that her safety belt's Velcro came undone toward the end of her ride. Castaneda said he noticed a lifeguard was trying to push the crowd back from the slide, but he continued to try to help because he thought there was someone lying face down in the water. After a boy died while riding a nearly 170-foot-tall waterslide in Kansas in 2016, state attorneys brought criminal charges against operators and associates of the water park, accusing them of recklessness. We are obviously disappointed and respectfully disagree with the courts decision, the statement said, adding that prosecutors would take a fresh look at the evidence and applicable law in this tragic and troubling case to determine the best course forward.. They're not technically really to hold you in.. Tragic child Caleb Schwab, 10, was the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab. He said there were two women sitting in the back of the raft with blood on them. or redistributed. A 10-YEAR-old boy was decapitated while riding a water slide in front of his horrified mom and brother in one of the US' worst theme park tragedies. In 2012, the Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry, together with the senior designer John Schooley, fast-tracked Verrckts construction to coincide with an appearance on a reality TV show about amusement parks. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. A witness to the tragic death of a 10-year-old boy on the world's tallest water slide in Kansas has revealed gruesome details of how the boy died. The slide is 168 feet and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. Castaneda said that he heard booms coming from the area of the slide, and then saw a body wash down the slide directly after the raft did. But on Friday a judge dismissed the charges and said prosecutors had submitted improper evidence.. A witness named Kelsey Friedrichsen recalls, "It looked like he must have somehow been ejected from his seat, bounced around between the netting and the slide and just slid down. This Nov. 2013 file photo shows Schlitterbahn's Verruckt speed slide/water coaster in Kansas City. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. It's too awful to even imagine, but now his parents, State Representative Scott Schwab and his wife Michele, are mourning the loss of their young son. This is likely where Caleb had been sitting. The park was closed down after the incident Sunday and remained closed Monday. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. A showcase of cinematic short documentary films, curated by The Atlantic. Riders are propelled by jets of water as they go over a hump while riding a water slide called "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. They were not related to the boy. . In his ruling, the judge, Robert Burns of Wyandotte County, wrote that there was illegal evidence that should not have been presented to the grand jury and called into question videos and expert testimony presented to jurors. That is, until August 7, 2016, when the raft that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was riding went airborne and hit a metal pole supporting a safety net, resulting in his decapitation and instant death. A lot of our math was based on roller coasters at first, and that didn't translate to a water slide like this. Miles, said there is no question that Fridays ruling about what occurred before the grand jury was correct and the judges reasoning legally sound.. The Verrckt slide in Kansas is billed as the world's tallest water slide. "Before they took off I said, 'Brothers stick together' and [Caleb] said, 'I know, dad,'" Scott said. Kansas City, Kansas, police say a 10-year-old boy who was killed while riding the world's tallest water slide died of a neck injury. It's important to point out that before riders (who must be at least 54 inches tall) board the raft, a park employee reads them a two-page safety warning. Castaneda said noticed a lifeguard was trying to push the crowd back from the slide, but he continued to try to help because he thought there was someone lying face down in the water. I was hired as an admissions cashiertaking payment and . Schlitterbahn allegedly buried or downplayed these reports. All Rights Caleb, his parents and 3 brothers attended "elected officials day" at the water park on Sunday. Marshals said. Jeff Henry, Verrckt creator and Schlitterbahn co-owner, told USA Today about the several delays in opening the slide in 2014: "We had many issues on the engineering side. As investigators continue to look for answers, chilling new video has emerged - detailing the dangers of the. The slide, known as Verrckt, which is German for crazy or insane, opened in 2014 and was marketed as the tallest waterslide in the world. Castaneda said he had ridden the slide earlier in the day with his cousin's 14-year-old daughter. A water park company's co-owner was arrested Monday in Texas in connection with a Kansas criminal case arising from a 10-year-old boy's death on what was promoted as the world's largest waterslide. The corporation behind the Verruckt water slide in Kansas City and a former operations director who is being charged with manslaughter for the death of a 10-year-old boy did not have any proper . It's like jumping off the Empire State Building. The lifeguard told Castaneda that there was nothing he could do to help. 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ABC News talked with Esteban Castaneda, who witnessed the incident at the water park. All Rights Reserved. AUGUST 9, 2016 REPORT: It's called "the world's tallest water slide," and it reaches higher than the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls. When Conrad herself rode the slide, she expressed safety concerns about the straps to a water park lifeguard. The slide is 168-feet tall and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. They were not related to the boy. UPDATE: According to The Washington Post, Schlitterbahn Waterpark and former director of operations, Tyler Austin Miles, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and several counts of aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child, and interference with law enforcement in connection to the death of Caleb Schwab involving the water coaster, Verrckt. Are Tarek and Christina Still Business Partners After 'Flip or Flop'? Judge Dismisses Charges in Boys Decapitation on 170-Foot-Tall Water Slide, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/24/us/water-slide-death-charges.html. 2 Water Slide Death | Women in Raft With Victim Speak Out ABC News 14.1M subscribers Subscribe 1.7M views 6 years ago Hannah Barnes and Matraca Baetz both suffered facial injuries during the. Jeffrey Henry, co-owner of the park, and John Schooley, the lead designer of the ride, have been charged with second-degree murder and face charges of aggravated endangerment of a child and aggravated battery. My first thought was that it must have been a freak accidentwhat a horrible, horrible story, Truesdell told me. -- taller than the Statue of Liberty `` insane '' had been named the world & # x27 s. As well not related to him, suffered minor facial injuries related to him, suffered facial. The water park lifeguard a private inspection in June that included Verruckt, according to a water slide people reports. By Guinness world Records state Rep. 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