Kansas water park closed after boy dies on 'insane' slide
A Kansas water park and the world's tallest water slide remained closed Monday while authorities investigated the death of the 10-year-old son of a state lawmaker on the park's "Elected Officials Day."
An autopsy was conducted Monday on the body of Caleb Schwab, who died Sunday at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kan. Caleb was riding the Verrückt — German for "insane" — a slide that drops riders at 65 mph from a height of almost 169 feet. Marketing materials include the slogan "R U Insane?"
Bigger and faster is a recurring theme for Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Resorts, which this summer opened what it describes as the world's tallest water coaster at its Texas park, Schlitterbahn Galveston Island. The Massiv — German for "massive" — is a cross between a roller coaster and a water slide.
Caleb Schwab was the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele, of Olathe, Kan. A family friend set up a GoFundMe page aimed at collecting $15,000 for funeral expenses. On Monday, the fund had exceeded the goal.
"Since the day he was born, he brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with," the family said in a statement. "As we try to mend our home with him no longer with us, we are comforted knowing he believed in our Savior Jesus, and they are forever together now. We will see him another day."
Boy dies on Kansas waterslide billed as world's tallest
Park spokeswoman Winter Prosapio said the park and ride were closed Monday but that the park was tentatively scheduled to reopen Wednesday. She said all of the park's rides are inspected every day and that an outside party inspects them at the start of the season.
"We honestly don't know what's happened," Prosapio said. "This is not something we've experienced."
Kansas City Police Chief Terry Zeigler said the death was being treated as an accident.
The park's website says riders on the Verrückt should be at least 54 inches tall. Riders sit in a three-person raft, restrained with straps across the waist and shoulders. Rafts have a weight limit of 550 pounds, with no single rider weighing more than 300 pounds.
Last week, USA TODAY ranked it as one of the nation's top water rides. When the ride opened in 2014, operators told USA TODAY it would "thrill or terrify" riders.
Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry, who created Verrückt with senior designer John Schooley, said he was among the first to ride the water slide: "I'm still recovering mentally. It's like jumping off the Empire State Building. It's the scariest thing I've done."
Seat belts lash riders to the raft, and netting encloses the chute to contain the raft.
After the Guinness World Records certified Verrückt as the world's tallest water slide, Henry tore down half of it to make corrections, delaying the planned opening and costing an additional $1 million. Testing was conducted after dark to avoid media helicopters that had been buzzing the park after hours.
Henry then called the ride "dangerous, but it's a safe dangerous." He said Schlitterbahn "is a family water park, but this isn't a family ride. It's for the thrill seekers of the world, people into extreme adventure."
