A source familiar with the investigation into the boy's death told the Associated Press that Caleb was decapitated. Caleb's family received nearly $20 million . As they watched one raft crest the hill, Jeff turned to Schooley and said, Man, are they hitting that net up there? Behind him were two young womenone 32 years old and the other 25sisters who lived near the Kansas-Nebraska state line. Miles, then the operations director, hid or destroyed documents detailing injuries sustained by riders . He said he wanted to raise their three children in a small town, just as he had been raised. Heendured another jolt of bad publicity when the news media learned about his marijuana use. Sometimes I cant get out of bed for four days., He had decided to talk to me, he said, so that people would understand he had done nothing wrong. 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 . And as if that wasnt enough, they were going to have to invent a special conveyor system to transport the rafts back up to the top of the platform. (By this time, Bob had handed off the company to his three children, giving each of them a third of the voting shares.) He said he wanted to raise their three children in a small town, just as he had been raised. They asked Jeff if he had any projects in the works. We run a safe operationour 40 years of entertaining millions of people speaks to that., All the defendants pleaded not guilty in a Kansas courtroom. The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians. What could be better? One is a line from John 3:16. The Lagoon at the original Schlitterbahn, in New Braunfels, in 1991. When the ride first opened in 2014, co-owner and Verruckt creator Jeff Henry told USA Today: "We had many issues on the engineering side. The two other occupants -- Hannah Barnes and Matraca Baetz -- suffered. ET. ), On June 16 of this year, after Id attempted to contact Jeff a half dozen times through his legal team and his family, he called me at 1:26 in the morning. Although Jeff and Schooley said they used engineers and architects to help them design Verrckt, they also continued to depend on traditional trial and error. Verrckt ( German meaning "crazy" or "insane", listen) was a water slide located at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. I was so happy that Schlitterbahn hired me that I didn't think anything about the tragic accident on the Verrckt water coaster the previous year. 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 We reported earlier about how their second oldest son, 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, died after an accident on the world's tallest waterslide: the 168-foot Verrckt. Billye ran the cafe, and Gary, Jeff, and Jana did odd jobs: sweeping out the cabins, mowing the grass, laying brick, shingling, and grouting. Aug. 8 2016, Updated 5:55 p.m. If the total weight of the three riders was between 400 and 550 pounds, they were sent up the stairs. (Bob died in October 2016, after a long illness, and Billye died in her sleep last year.) his wife, Billye, that he was tired of city life. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. Riders must be at least 54 inches tall and the group cannot weigh more than a combined total of 400 to 550 pounds, according to the parks website. I cant begin to describe it.. Where to park for free at Clearwater Beach? 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. The camp sat next to the spring-fed Comal River, which gently meanders two and a half miles through New Braunfels before merging with the Guadalupe River. An employee pushed a button, and the raft would take off. Still, neither Jeff nor his siblings offered any public explanation for what had happened. The family had strong ties in the city, including at the LifeMission Church on South Lone . Last year a bank in Corpus Christi that held roughly $32 million in debt on that citys Schlitterbahn took ownership of the park, after plans for an attached resort quintupled in size and the projects costs ballooned, eventually forcing the property into foreclosure. Read more about other injuries at Schlitterbahn in Kansas here. Later, some gruesome details were revealed about the boy's death. aftermath image of Caleb's death out of her head. of what decapitated the poor child, the blood pooling at the bottom and where his brother stood. The hoop sliced into his neck, and he was instantly decapitated. The two sisters who had ridden behind Caleb, both of whom suffered facial injuries, also received a settlement, of an undisclosed amount. 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.. I get fired up to come to work and take care of those customers.. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Well, man, if I dont ever see you again, its been fun, he said to Schooley, trying to be lighthearted. But the first time, you dont know. Today is the five-year anniversary of when Caleb Schwab, 10, died while riding a 168ft-high water slide in Kansas at Schlitterbahn Water Park. There was no age restrictiononly the height requirementso kids joined the line. Republican lawmaker Scott Schwab's son Caleb died on the Verruckt attraction, which means "insane" in German, and has been certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records. It was quiet. His lawyers would later say he was so confident in the rides safety that on the very day that Caleb was killed, he had brought his wife to the park to ride Verrckt. You read it quietly and are reminded again that Caleb Schwab should still be here. Industry veterans nicknamed him the Lord of the Slides and the Wizard of Wet. Senator's son, 10, was 'decapitated when he was thrown through raft harness and into safety net before plunging 50ft down the world's tallest waterslide'. One of the most intriguing came from a Kansas City investor. 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. Thats what I do.. The Verrckt slide in Kansas is billed as the world's tallest water slide. Police confirmed to TIME on Tuesday that the boy was decapitated in the accident. 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. The 168ft-high Verruckt, which means "insane" in German, was certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records. 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. 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. They both suffered minor cuts and scrapes on their face in the incident. The State of Kansas also agreed to throw in an estimated $200 million in sales tax revenue bonds. The allegation that we operated, and failed to maintain, a ride that could foreseeably cause such a tragic accident is beyond the pale of speculation. As his raft passed the second hump, it soared up the ridge, causing the metal support of the netting to break off and decapitate him. Within a few seconds, the raft reached the bottom of the hill and swooped up the second, 55-foot hill. Followed by a camera crew from Xtreme Waterparks, Jeff and Schooley loaded a raft with sandbags and sent it down the slide. As a boy, he was the classic river rat, a Huck Finn in cutoff shorts who spent almost all his free time on the Comal. So he invented what he described as a water brake, a dip at the end of the slide that slowed the guests down. 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. (WFLA) The theme park with one of the most gruesome accidents in U.S. History is once again open for business. To get even more ideas, he pored over the history of Roman aqueducts and leafed through Jules Verne novels. . The people that have a spark of genius dont necessarily need college. Many of us, and our children and grandchildren, have ridden the ride with complete confidence as to its safety . . Date: Today, 02:00:07 AM EDT. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Republican lawmaker Scott Schwab's son Caleb died on the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. A detective interviewed 29-year-old Tyler Miles, who had been working at the park since 2013 and had advanced from construction worker to lifeguard to director of operations, responsible for all aspects of the parks day-to-day ride operations. What Happened To The Boy On The Water Slide? Around this time he noticed that some of the people going down his fathers slides were hitting the water too hard. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. By 1990 Schlitterbahn had become a sensation, drawing nearly 500,000 people a year. 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. The ride quickly became the parks most popular attraction. His head and body flew out of the raft and landed on the chute." Jesus. If the completed ride still didnt meet his expectations, hed tear it down and start over. Jeff, Schooley, and Schlitterbahns New Braunfelsbased construction company, Henry & Sons Construction, were charged with aggravated battery, aggravated child endangerment, and second-degree murder, a much more significant charge than manslaughter that could result in sentences for Jeff and Schooley ranging from 9 to 41 years in prison, along with a $300,000 maximum fine per man. 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. After Calebs death, advocates urged officials to step in to change how the amusement park industry is run. The family was said to have received a settlement of nearly $20million, local media reported in May 2017. I recently drove to the original Schlitterbahn, in New Braunfels. Some experts believe that his death was because of the uneven distribution of weight. Eyewitness Melanie Gocke had told CNN : "I heard the noise, and I looked over immediately, and I saw his broken neck and him sliding down the slide leaving a blood trail.". Gary and Jana agreed that Jeff should proceed with Verrckt. Designers of the waterslide had so many problems they had to delay the grand opening. There is no single federal agency responsible for enforcing rules and regulations at Schlitterbahn, which is monitored by the states Department of Labor. Police launched an investigation. Even those werent enough to save 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated. For Schlitterbahns second season, Jeff added a 50,000-square-foot pool and an inner tube ride that he named the Hillside Tube Chute. I don't even hardly remember driving home.". On their first attempt, the cannon nozzle misfired, and the raft never made it up the five-story hill: it slid back down to the bottom. Article continues below advertisement | (Photo: Facebook) The Christian family of Republican Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab attended a worship service just hours before the lawmaker's 10-year-old son, Caleb, was decapitated on the Verrckt slide at the Schlitterbahn Plans to expand to other cities have been shelved. Caleb Schwab was decapitated in 2016, when the raft he was riding on the Verruckt waterslide went airborne and hit a metal pole supporting a safety net at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas. This was news to everyone, even at Schlitterbahn. But watch as the video stops at the end, before the duo goes airborne. Caleb Schwab, 10, died in front of his family while riding a 168ft-high water slide in Kansas at Schlitterbahn Water Park. I didnt hear anyone mention the indictments in Kansas City. 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. Caleb Schwab died in front of his family while riding a 168ft-high water . Certified by the Guinness World Records as the worlds tallest, the slide is no stranger to controversy. Heres everything you need to know about The Grinch sequel, plus the best books your kid can check out now. He bought a piece of property next door to the Landa, built a sixty-foot replica of a German castle (to reflect New Braunfelss heritage), and had four blue fiberglass waterslides erected around the castle. The two adult women with Caleb were severely injured in the incident. Caleb and his father, Scott Schwab, were at the park for a special day for state lawmakers. The quiet, efficient Gary oversaw the parks buildings and finances; Jana handled the marketing; and Jeff was in charge of the attractions. The witness, Esteban Castaneda, said he heard booms before seeing the boy wash down the slide after the raft. However, the particular ride that killed a 10-year old boy Sunday remains closed. We walked past the home where Bob, Billye, and the Henry kids lived five decades ago (its now rented out to Schlitterbahn visitors). As investigators continue to look for answers, chilling new video has emerged detailing the dangers of the worlds tallest waterslide. (After he had created the 135-foot Insano, a Brazilian company built a body slide that was just under 164 feet.) That smooth ride ended on Aug. 7, 2016, when 10-year-old Caleb Schwab died on Verrckt. Bearded and scruffy, he almost always wore a dirty, creased ball cap, an old fishing shirt, shorts, and muddy boots. Caleb Thomas Schwab, aged 10, died in a freak incident when he fell from the 168-foot-tall Verruckt ride at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. 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