We stood on the bank of the Comal, where Jeff used to go swimming, and we ambled over to the first tube chutes that Jeff designed and built when he was a young man. I don't even hardly remember driving home.". Schwab was elected Kansas secretary of state in November. But one of his lawyers acknowledged that Jeff didnt have such training. (Under the headline The making of Schlitterbahns Verrckt water slide: Too much, too fast? a Kansas City Star article concluded that the ultimate safety of [Verrckt] mostly began and ended with those inspired to build it.) The reporters quoted former Verrckt riders who said their shoulder straps had busted loose or that their rafts had caught air. Kelsey Friedrichsen was visiting the park . To get even more ideas, he pored over the history of Roman aqueducts and leafed through Jules Verne novels. Caleb Schwab, the son of a state lawmaker, sustained a fatal "neck injury" at around 2:30 p.m. while riding the 168-foot-tall "Verruckt" (meaning "insane" in German) water slide, the Associated Press reports. But instead of staying in its fiberglass flume and cresting the hill, the raft flew up into the air. A half century earlier, in 1966, a Houston accountant named Bob Henry toldhis wife, Billye, that he was tired of city life. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Caleb Schwab, 10, died in front of his family while riding a 168ft-high water slide in Kansas at Schlitterbahn Water Park. One is a line from John 3:16. The first was the Boogie Bahn, which allowed riders to actually surf on boogie boards over a thin, fast-flowing sheet of water that shot over a sloped surface. I was hired as an admissions cashiertaking payment and . 2 Some Bahnophiles spend every summer weekend, or even entire vacations, at a Schlitterbahn. Over two years after 10-year-old Caleb Schwab lost his life on the tallest waterslide in the world, the amusement park industry has yet to fully reckon with the tragedy. The idea for Verrckt came from 63-year-old Jeff Henry, who co-owned the Schlitterbahn parks with his older brother, Gary, and younger sister, Jana, and acted as the companys chief visionary, a conjurer of splashy joyrides. According to investigators, Miles hadnt even ordered repairs when a Schlitterbahn manager informed him, on July 15, 2016 (three weeks before Calebs death), that maintenance work on Verrckts brake system was a priority. Caleb's head collided with a net and a semicircular metal hoop that arced over the top of the slide. Calebs head collided with a net and a semicircular metal hoop that arced over the top of the slide. I want to be the first at the bar to buy a drink, and I want to be the first to meet a pretty girl, and I want to be the first at everything. According to Wikipedia, Caleb Schwab's cause of death was internal decapitation. ET A few weeks ago, 10-year-old Caleb Schwab died after riding on a water slide at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. His father is Scott Schwab, a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives. They wanted me to create suspense and danger, to make Verrckt look really scary to add drama to the show, he said. Two women that were also on the ride suffered minor injuries. It was faked. When he was in meetings, he pulled off his boots and propped his bare feet up on the table. Within a few seconds, the raft reached the bottom of the hill and swooped up the second, 55-foot hill. . In the water park business, Jeff was considered a genius of sortsan out of the box visionary of waterpark designs, wrote Tim OBrien in his 2006 book Legends: Pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry. Police launched an investigation. We were a Texas tradition, and now its over., When I later asked his brother, Gary, about Jeffs comments, he quietly said, It has been a horrific couple of years. But he added that Schlitterbahn is not going out of business. The Kansas House representative's 10-year-old son Caleb was decapitated in front of his . Finally, in June 2014, after several successful sandbag runs, they decided it was time for humans to ride it. Once again, Jeff later insisted to me that he had been hamming it up for the camera and that he did not in fact see a raft fly off the chute on opening day. Some experts believe that his death was because of the uneven distribution of weight. Riders were held in by nothing more than Velcro straps. What are those large pyramids next to the Skyway? Until it went horribly wrong. Indeed, for the next two years, there were no public indications that Verrckt had any problems at all. There are two Bible verses on the back of Caleb's headstone. Republican lawmaker Scott Schwab's son Caleb died on the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. They walked up the stairs to try the ride again. Caleb Thomas Schwab, Kansas Politician's Son, Dies On World's Tallest Water Slide. Schlitterbahn was perhaps not the scene of a freak horrific accident, the prosecutors were saying, but the scene of a crime. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. People got in line to ride Verrckt. The hoop sliced into his neck, and he was instantly decapitated. Schwab, the son of a Kansas state legislator, died from a neck injury The accident occurred at the world's tallest water slide, which will remain closed during the investigation CNN It was as horrible a moment as you could imagine, a person who was there told me. He sold his technology for slides and river systems to the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas and to the Palm in Dubai. KANSAS CITY, Kansas, United States The 10-year-old boy killed during a ride on the world's tallest waterslide was decapitated in the accident, a person familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. "And he said, "Yes, your son is dead'. A pair of black tights are a necessity, rather than just an accessory, to stay stylish and comfortable when temperatures drop. his wife, Billye, that he was tired of city life. It is a seriously dangerous piece of equipment today because there are things that we dont know about it, he said at one point. The Kansas City Schlitterbahn is one of five Schlitterbahn parks in the country. Meanwhile, sifting through Verrckts maintenancereports, other investigators concluded that Miles had avoided or delayed making repairs that would have taken the ride out of commission. Caleb and his father, Scott Schwab, were at the park for a special day for state lawmakers. Caleb's family received nearly $20 million in . Republican lawmaker Scott Schwab's son Caleb died on the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. To: sandra@sandrarose.com. Leafing through a newspaper, Billye spotted an ad for a property called Camp Landa, a modest thirteen-acre campground with some sagging frame cabins that was for sale in the Hill Country town of New Braunfels, thirty miles north of San Antonio and fifty miles south of Austin. Due to the uneven weight distribution, their raft went airborne which impacted the . Had something gone wrong with the cannon nozzle that shot the raft up the second hill? He added, Neither did Henry Ford, and he built the car., Jeff returned to Texas and stayed out of public view, splitting his time between a condo he owns in South Padre and a home he owns outside New Braunfels on a remote piece of property a short walk away from the grave sites of his mother and father. After his death, it was announced . The 168ft-high Verruckt, which means "insane" in German, was certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records. Plans to expand to other cities have been shelved. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. John Schooley, who designed the killer slide, and fellow co-owner Jeff Henry originally faced charges of involuntary manslaughter and a number of others over Caleb's death, but the charges were dropped in 2019 owing to "improper evidence and testimony". Caleb was a brown-eyed boy, his nose dotted with freckles. The Henrys moved into a small house on the property, which they renamed the Landa Resort. Jeff surveys his most extreme creation, Verrckt, shortly before it opens in 2014. In subsequent seasons, he built the Cliffhanger Tube Chute, the Tunnel Tube Chute, and the 45-minute-long Raging River Tube Chute. His head and body flew out of the raft and landed on the chute. Police have revealed that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab - who was involved in a fatal accident at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City on Sunday - died of a "neck injury," PEOPLE confirms.. Some of his baseball teammates sat in the front row, wearing their jerseys. Since the ride was torn down, former employees have alleged that both ride inspections and staff training were inadequate. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. When Caleb reached the top of the platform, he could see the sprawl of Kansas City, including the downtown skyline, some sixteen miles away. When the case goes to trial, which isnt likely to happen for at least another year, Jeffs and Schooleys attorneys might use that very argument: that the employees who operated Verrckt made mistakes, such as ignoring maintenance problems, and that Henry and Schooley knew nothing about it. Texas law, for instance, says that a park must obtain a $1 million liability policy for each of its rides and must have all rides inspected once a year by an inspector hired by the insurance company. In a black notebook, he constantly wrote down ideas for new rides he wanted to build. Dozens Injured at Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa Concert, The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. Every year, an estimated two million visitors go to the parks to plunge down slides, zoom through twisting tube chutes, and float and swim in man-made rivers and enormous pools. Behind him were two young womenone 32 years old and the other 25sisters who lived near the Kansas-Nebraska state line. He was smart, and he joined the debate team, but he didnt turn in his homework and refused to take tests, telling his teachers that tests were a waste of time. From left: Jeff Henry with his father, Bob, mother, Billye, and siblings, Jana and Gary. If the total weight of the three riders was between 400 and 550 pounds, they were sent up the stairs. And in Kansas City, even those who cared little for water or who couldnt afford Schlitterbahns $45 admission ($35 for children) would drive by the park just to get a look at Verrckt. Heres everything you need to know about The Grinch sequel, plus the best books your kid can check out now. Caleb was 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 72 pounds. A Kansas judge dropped charges Friday against the owners of the world's tallest waterslide after a child was decapitated on it, local media reported.. Caleb Schwab was just 10 years old when he was killed while riding the 168-foot-tall "Verrckt" slide in Kansas City's Schlitterbahn water park in 2016.. Caleb, the son of Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, was decapitated after his raft . Leave them blank to get signed up. I always set out to break all the records. Caleb is 10-year-old boy from Olathe, Kansas. For the most devoted fans, Schlitterbahn is an aquatic version of Disney World, with something for everyone, from huge playgrounds for children to swim-up bars for adults that serve beer and margaritas. Even those weren't enough to save 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated. The other is James 4:14. A humid breeze presses down on the dead summer grass. I remember hearing about the accident on the news and thought that the park was going to shut down. Something went wrong, please try again later. . The plans would eventually call for hotels, rental cabins, hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail outlets, and a residential area surrounding the park. He swam, fished, canoed, rafted, and hunted for turtles. I think they need to fix the jostling around like your neck gets pretty (shaken)around like really good and you hit your head a lot, a witness said. He apparently enjoyed smoking pot. You don't want to go any further'.". All that came from Schlitterbahn was a statement from company spokesperson Winter Prosapio, who said, We honestly dont know what happened. She added that Schlitterbahn was deeply and intensely saddened for the Schwab family and all who were impacted by the tragic accident., Kansas City reporters began digging. That smooth ride ended on Aug. 7, 2016, when 10-year-old Caleb Schwab died on Verrckt. No comment, Jeff said. Caleb Schwab Death: Source Reveals Horrific Details of Boy's Water Slide Accident By Associated Press Nationwide PUBLISHED 4:32 PM ET Aug. 10, 2016 KANSAS CITY, Kan. A 10-year-old boy was decapitated as he rode a 168-foot tall waterslide at a water park in Kansas, a person familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. . Although the federal governments Consumer Product Safety Commission has the authority to set safety standards for such products as baby cribs and bicycles, it has no authority to regulate water parks. Jeff came up with an artificial river that he called the Torrent River, where large waves unexpectedly rose and broke around the tubers. Miles and the Kansas City Schlitterbahn itself were indicted for aggravated battery, aggravated endangerment of a child, interference with law enforcement, and involuntary manslaughter. That responsibility lies entirely with the states. His hope, he said, was to reconstruct the fatal ride exactly as it took place, assisted by a team of independent experts. (Besides the felony conviction in 1994, he was convicted in 2007 on a misdemeanor charge of possession.) Jeff, who has a streak of P.T. Barnum in him, suddenly blurted out that he and Schooley were going to build the worlds tallest and fastest waterslide at the Kansas City Schlitterbahn. I watched some other kids at a picnic table happily downing ice cream. Kansas City Police said Caleb, the son of a. And, of course, they loved Jeffs increasingly daring rides. He said he wanted to return to Verrckt, which closed immediately after Calebs death but still loomed over the Kansas City landscape like some grisly monument, so he could find out what had gone wrong. Then, on August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab and his family arrived at the park. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. And now, the Verrckt water slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas, is the site of a horrible accident, in which 10-year-old Caleb Schwab died Sunday. Reporters from the San Antonio Express-News also revealed that in September 2013, Jeffs second wife, Louise Settree, had claimed in divorce papers that he had assaulted, battered, beat and tormented her during their nearly five-year marriage and that his use of alcohol and drugs had contributed to the horrific assaults. His treatment of her, Settree claimed, was so extreme in degree . That day, Schlitterbahn was offering free admission to Kansas elected officials and their families, along with a buffet lunch, and the Schwabs, who lived in the town of Olathe, southwest of Kansas City, were thrilled. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. Thats what I do.. The Verrckt slide in Kansas is billed as the world's tallest water slide. I want to be the first at the bar to buy a drink, and I want to be the first to meet a pretty girl, and I want to be the first at everything. I want to have the biggest, the tallest, and the fastest rides at my parks., Like his father, Gary, the eldest child, had a sharp, analytical mind. He seemed close to tears. For instance, eleven Schlitterbahn customers said they had been injured on Verrckt between August 31, 2014, and August 5, 2016 (two days before Calebs death). Caleb Schwab died in front of his family while riding a 168ft-high water slide in Kansas, billed as the world's tallest. Its scheduled opening back in 2014 was delayed reportedly due to alarming complications including one that saw water rafts detach from the slide and fly off into the air. Courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts. Verruckt is one of the water parks main attractions. One of the most intriguing came from a Kansas City investor. Investigators laterlearned, however, that Schlitterbahn employees were required to submit regular ops reports about the rides they monitored and, according to reports that the investigators read, Verrckt had problems that were never revealed to the public. The others are in Texas: in New Braunfels, South Padre Island, Galveston, and Corpus Christi. - December 23, 2022. He posted a $500,000 bond and surrendered his passport. The gate swung open, and the conveyor belt underneath the raft began to move. If you see a couple of people [go down the slide], you say its survivable, Schooley later told a reporter. As you can see, at the time it was shot, there were no safety nets enclosing the chute to retain the rafts. Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. 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