To slow the rafts velocity, Jeff and Schooley lessened the angle at the bottom of the initial drop. A boy who was decapitated on a water slide is remembered five years on as witness accounts resurface about the mum having to be held back from seeing the horrific scene. 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. Jeff, Schooley, and the brother of Jeffs assistant piled into a raft. In 2006 the Henrys expanded again, opening a year-round park in Galveston with a retractable roof. 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. 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. 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. Children frolicked in watery playgrounds, teenagers lined up to ride the Boogie Bahn and the water coasters, and parents floated on the artificial rivers. Designers of the waterslide had so many problems they had to delay the grand opening. Still, neither Jeff nor his siblings offered any public explanation for what had happened. 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. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission only has jurisdiction over traveling amusement parks, like pop-up carnivals. One of the most intriguing came from a Kansas City investor. Jeff never made any secret of how he built his rides. I cant begin to describe it.. He encircled the park with a man-made river that behaved a lot like a real river, with light rapids, quick drops, and backwater eddies, and he filled the childrens playground with animal sculptures, telescopes, water cannons, giant sand buckets, and small slides that sent kids into shallow pools. (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. If you see a couple of people [go down the slide], you say its survivable, Schooley later told a reporter. (At that point, there were fewer than a half dozen water parks around the U.S.) Jeff quickly got on the phone to tell Bob and Billye all about it. 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. That day, the Travel Channels cameras focused on Jeff and Schooley as they stood on an elevated platform near Verrckts second hill. They had no immediate plans to build a ride using the cannon nozzle, and certainly had no plans to build it in Kansas City, until Jeff made his pronouncement to the Travel Channel producers. It was faked. In October 2012, Jeff was at an amusement park industry trade show with his chief collaborator, John Schooley, a soft-spoken, silver-haired former yacht builder who had constructed slides at water parks in Asia before coming to New Braunfels to work for Jeff in 1998. I recently drove to the original Schlitterbahn, in New Braunfels. 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 get fired up to come to work and take care of those customers.. They walked up the stairs to try the ride again. 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. Jeff Henry often said that his goal in life was to make customers of his familys legendary water parks happyto put a smile on their faces, to give them a thrill or two. It was a beautiful vision. His hope, he said, was to reconstruct the fatal ride exactly as it took place, assisted by a team of independent experts. 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. Witness Kelsey Friedrichsen said she was about to ride the waterslide when she saw emergency responders below covering the boy and attending to the two injured. Miles answered, I have not, sir, according to the detective. You read it quietly and are reminded again that Caleb Schwab should still be here. 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 . Scott and Michelle Schwab have spoken out for the first time about the tragic death of their son Caleb. . He named the park Schlitterbahn, which means, roughly, slippery road in German, and hired his children to help him manage it. 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Schwab was elected Kansas secretary of state in November. 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. I always set out to break all the records. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Since the ride was torn down, former employees have alleged that both ride inspections and staff training were inadequate. of what decapitated the poor child, the blood pooling at the bottom and where his brother stood. Indeed, for the next two years, there were no public indications that Verrckt had any problems at all. Questions remain over how exactly Caleb died, including whether the ride or safety equipment as well as the Velcro straps and belt holding him into the raft malfunctioned. Miles and the Kansas City Schlitterbahn itself were indicted for aggravated battery, aggravated endangerment of a child, interference with law enforcement, and involuntary manslaughter. This past spring, Kansas City prosecutors began meeting with a grand jury, and in late March, the jury issued indictments. . The gate swung open, and the conveyor belt underneath the raft began to move. It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes . In five of the incidents, riders claimed they were injured while their rafts were still in the chute. Caleb was killed when his raft became airborne over the slide's 50-foot hump and collided with a metal bar supporting the safety net. However, the particular ride that killed a 10-year old boy Sunday remains closed. On a 25-acre piece of property that the Henrys bought, three blocks east of the main park, he erected two rides that he had co-created with a former surfer turned inventor named Tom Lochtefeld. 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. We owe it to this childs family, said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids in Danger, a nonprofit that works to improve safety related to childrens products. By then, developers from around the country who also wanted a Schlitterbahn were regularly approaching the Henry family with proposals. Investigators and detectives from the Kansas City Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and the Kansas attorney generals office also arrived at Schlitterbahn. Sign up for our daily newsletter to keep up to date with all the essential information at www.mirror.co.uk/email . 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. As investigators continue to look for answers, chilling new video has emerged detailing the dangers of the worlds tallest waterslide. Schlitterbahn was entering the big leagues of American entertainment. Caleb Thomas Schwab, Kansas Politician's Son, Dies On World's Tallest Water Slide. Despite all his success, Jeff remained, at heart, a river rat. Shocked theme park visitors were left traumatised after watching Caleb die. The case is being investigated as a civil rather than criminal matter, yet details are vague and authorities have disclosed little information about what caused the tragic accident. They had no immediate plans to build a ride using the cannon nozzle, and certainly had no plans to build it in Kansas City, until Jeff made his pronouncement to the Travel Channel producers. He said that if he was demanding and impatient, it was because he was consumed with making Schlitterbahn the best water park in the world. Later, some gruesome details were revealed about the boy's death. Where to park for free at Clearwater Beach? 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. 2 That responsibility lies entirely with the states. A half century earlier, in 1966, a Houston accountant named Bob Henry toldhis wife, Billye, that he was tired of city life. He had come to the park with his father, Scott, a state legislator; his mother, Michele; and his three brothers. Heres everything you need to know about The Grinch sequel, plus the best books your kid can check out now. Details remained murky about what happened on Sunday to Caleb Thomas Schwab on the 168-foot-tall "Verruckt" - German for "insane" - that since its debut two years ago has been the top . Even those werent enough to save 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated. He never got a conventional education beyond high school and never formally studied physics or engineering. In 2016, An accident that could have been prevented happened in Schlitterbahn which caused the death of a 10-year-old boy; Caleb Schwab Sunday, the son of Scott Schwab, Kansas Representative. After his death, it was announced . Jamie Lee Curtis upsets Angela Bassett at SAG Awards, Two FL beaches make Tripadvisors best of the best, Buffalo Wild Wings manager stole $72,000 from work:, Win $1M a year for life with new FL Lottery game, Where to find fish fries in Tampa Bay during Lent, Worlds largest bounce house coming to Tampa. His head and body flew out of the raft and landed on the chute." Jesus. Gary and Jana agreed that Jeff should proceed with Verrckt. The late Caleb Schwab, 10 (2nd Right), is pictured with his brothers, father, Republican Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, and mother, Michele. Gary and Jana agreed that Jeff should proceed with Verrckt. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The second was the Dragon Blaster, a watery version of a roller coaster (a water coaster, Jeff called it), which used high-pressure jets of water to push tubers up and around chutes instead of just sending them straight downhill. Onlookers prevented Calebs mother from witnessing the scene. The others are in Texas: in New Braunfels, South Padre Island, Galveston, and Corpus Christi. (In 1994 he pleaded guilty to third-degree felony drug possession after he was caught with seventeen ounces of marijuana.) Caleb Schwab died six years ago in the tragedy at Schlitterbahn Park, in Kansas, on a water slide called Verruckt, which means crazy in German. This was news to everyone, even at Schlitterbahn. When he was in meetings, he pulled off his boots and propped his bare feet up on the table. The family had strong ties in the city, including at the LifeMission Church on South Lone . We walked past the home where Bob, Billye, and the Henry kids lived five decades ago (its now rented out to Schlitterbahn visitors). A MOM had to be held back from the horror of her son, 10, being decapitated on a water slide at Schlitterbahn Water Park. 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.. Whats more, according to court documents, the investigators learned that on July 3, 2014, one week before the rides grand opening, an engineering firm hired by Jeff and Schooley to perform accelerometer tests on Verrckts rafts had issued a report suggesting that if the combined weight of the three passengers in a raft was between 400 and 550 poundsthe weight Jeff and Schooley had agreed was appropriatethere was a chance the raft would go airborne on the second hill. Tests were showing that the rafts were going too fast and the g-forces were so powerful that passengers might pass out. (Bob died in October 2016, after a long illness, and Billye died in her sleep last year.) (WFLA) The theme park with one of the most gruesome accidents in U.S. History is once again open for business. He also heatedly denied allegations that he had been worried about Verrckts dangers as he was building it, chuckling mirthlessly when he told me hed been acting when he made his fearful on-camera comments, a few of which were quoted verbatim in the indictment. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. No comment, Jeff said. In 2016, what was supposed to be a fun day out for a family became an utter tragedy when 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was . That boat flew. 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. (Besides the felony conviction in 1994, he was convicted in 2007 on a misdemeanor charge of possession.) Around this time he noticed that some of the people going down his fathers slides were hitting the water too hard. His head and body flew out of the raft and landed on the chute. Caleb and his father, Scott Schwab, were at the park for a special day for state lawmakers. 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. A pair of black tights are a necessity, rather than just an accessory, to stay stylish and comfortable when temperatures drop. Some of his baseball teammates sat in the front row, wearing their jerseys. To attract more customers, Bob erected two slides that dumped guests into the Comal. And he was sometimes as obstinate with coworkers as he used to be with his high school teachers. 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. This is the best life I could ever imagine., Jeff was so busy with his own projects that he barely had time to go to New Braunfels High School, and when he did, he often showed up for class barefoot. But in the U.S., water park rides are not tightly regulated. Schlitterbahn opened in 1979, drawing approximately five thousand visitors in its first season (the park is open full-time only from Memorial Day until Labor Day). Caleb and his father, Scott Schwab, were at the park for a special day for state lawmakers. It was a Sunday afternoon, August 7, 2016, the temperature a pleasant 78 degrees, as ten-year-old Caleb Schwab began the 264-step climb to the top of Verrckt, the worlds tallest waterslide, which loomed like a colossus over the forty-acre Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. 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 am appalled anyone would write such details with pictures (including arrows!!) What happened. "And he said, "Yes, your son is dead'. 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. aftermath image of Caleb's death out of her head. Industry insiders said the Kansas City Schlitterbahn needed a joltsomething big, really bigthat would help it live up to the early hype and investment. his wife, Billye, that he was tired of city life. Riders were held in by nothing more than Velcro straps. Calebs parents, Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele said in a statement Sunday: Since the day he was born, [Caleb] brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with. A memorial service is planned for Friday, according to ABC 7 News. Jeff often said that his goal in life was to make Schlitterbahn customers happyto put a smile on their faces, togive them a thrill or two, he told me during one of our conversations this summer. ET. By 2017, attorneys for Schlitterbahn were meeting with the Schwab familys attorneys. It emerged that the opening of the 17-storey water wide was pushed twice because test rides showed rafts flying from the huge ride. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of State Representative Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele, of Olathe, died of a fatal neck injury, police said Monday. If we mess up, it could be the end. 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