Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website. 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. -- A judge dismissed criminal charges Friday against a Kansas water park owner and the designer of a 17-story slide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated in 2016. Castaneda said he had ridden the slide earlier in the day with his cousin's 14-year-old daughter. ABC News talked with Esteban Castaneda, who. or redistributed. The Kansas waterslide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated two years ago will be demolished later this year, officials announced Thursday. 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. He described a horrific scene after the boy's death. But the Kansas attorney general said in a statement that he may still consider future criminal charges. The slide's name means "insane" in German. Marshals said. Caleb, his parents and 3 brothers attended "elected officials day" at the water park on Sunday. The death of a 10-year-old at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas was even more devastating than could have been imagined with witnesses confirming that tragic child Caleb Schwab was decapitated while riding down the 168-foot-tall Verrckt slide! Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website. Some new details in the Caleb Schwab death are emerging with a witness giving her account of how the 10-year-old boy was killed on a water slide at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas on Sunday. I'd urge them not to. 6, See Sister Wives Christine and BF Davids Cutest Moments: Photos, Inside '90 Day Fiance Stars Memphis and Hamzas Custody Battle, Gone Too Soon! other recent tragedies are any indication. Also indicted were Henry & Sons Construction Company and KC Waterpark Management, both affiliates of Schlitterbahn. Caleb Schwab, 10, was killed in an accident on a ride at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas, his family said on August 7, 2016. At a height of 168 feet 7 inches (51.38 m), Verrckt became the world's tallest water slide when it opened on July 10, 2014, surpassing Kilimanjaro at Aldeia das guas Park Resort in Brazil. Caleb's parents, Scott and Michelle Schwab, said in a 2017 interview on Good Morning America that they had taken their four sons to the water park, and that Caleb and his then 12-year-old brother, Nathan, both went to the top of the 170-foot slide. As chance would have it, Schwabs father was a Kansas state representative. They were not related to the boy. It also can degrade with use. 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. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. According to. It turns out at first, it definitely wasn't. The Verruckt ride will remain closed while the accident is investigated; the rest of the park is tentatively scheduled to reopen on Wednesday. And although the Schlitterbahn Water Park is for families, this ride in particular is meant to attract so-called "thrill-seekers. All Rights Henry faced a charge of second-degree murder. 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. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Rep. Scott Schwab, died on the 17-story. The netting that ultimately ended up killing the child was added to prevent the rafts from flying off of the slide completely., In the film, Schooley speaks to a reporter after having tested the ride himself. The two women in his raft, who were not related to Caleb, suffered minor injuries, police said. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? But on Friday a judge dismissed the charges and said prosecutors had submitted improper evidence.. The slide's name means "insane" in German. Tragic child Caleb Schwab, 10, was the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab. His distraught little brother reportedly told Schlitterbahn WaterPark workers: I just saw my little brother die because of one of your attractions.. Nathan Truesdell, a filmmaker from nearby Missouri, heard about the devastating incident on the news. The defendants included Jeffrey W. Henry, a co-owner of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts, which is based in Texas; John T. Schooley, a designer of the slide; and Tyler Austin Miles, a former operations director. Police ID suspect accused of stealing bus from JFK Airport, Kiss reveal last dates of their farewell tour, ending in NYC. "It's an accident, but there is an accounting because someone was negligent," Caleb's father said on GMA. The video here is a point-of-view shot of the Giant Verrckt Water Slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, where the son of a state lawmaker died while plummeting down the 168-foot drop! Caleb Schwab in June 2016. The world's tallest water slide turned deadly on Sunday after a Kansas state lawmaker's son was killed on the attraction. He said Caleb was a hugger who loved his parents, sports and Jesus. The lifeguard told Castaneda that there was nothing he could do to help. We agree with the courts decision that the grand jury was not given a fair picture of the evidence relating to this tragic accident, Justin Johnston, a lawyer for Mr. Schooley, said. As his raft soared over the crest, Caleb was tossed toward the netting. 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. Removal of the slide had been delayed pending the investigation and trial on the criminal charges, but last year a court gave approval for it to be demolished. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. How Much Money Do Survivor Contestants Get Paid? "It . The boy, Caleb Schwab, was with his family at the Schlitterbahn waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas, on Aug. 7, 2016, when the raft he was riding on the 17-story Verrckt waterslide went airborne at the crest of the drop. Last year Caleb's family was awarded nearly $20 million in settlement payments from two companies associated with Texas-based Schlitterbahn, along with the ride's general contractor, the raft manufacturer and a consultant on the slide, reports The Kansas City Star. The slide is 168 feet and has 264 stairs leading to the top -- taller than the Statue of Liberty. 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. * Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? She remembered a short video they were required to watch, though she didn't recall that it included any caveats about peril. Judge Burns also wrote that the jurors heard expert testimony that suggested, incorrectly, that the slides designers did not adhere to legal standards, and that the expert mentioned another, unrelated death at the Schlitterbahn park in Texas. 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 . 10 year old boy Caleb Schwab got decapitated by one of the biggest water slides called "Verrckt" in 2016. The rafts sometimes lifted from the chute momentarily, and the slide was covered with netting, supported by metal poles, so riders would not fall off. Jon Rust, a professor of textile engineering at North Carolina State University, said the material used on the straps, commonly called hook and loop, isn't designed to keep a person in the seat. A memorial service will be held Friday afternoon, Sprague said. 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. In early tests, rafts carrying sandbags flew off the slide, prompting engineers to tear down half the ride and reconfigure some angles. On the day of Calebs accident, the Schwab family had been visiting the water park for Elected Official Day, an annual promotion from Schlitterbahn that offered free admission to Kansas elected officials and their families. The park reopened on Wednesday except for a large section that includes the waterslide, although its looming profile greeted visitors when they drove through the entrance. Riders climbed 264 steps to the top before sitting in a raft that plummeted and then soared over a crest on its way to a runoff pool at the bottom. All Rights Reserved. Another rider, Kenneth Conrad, told WDAF-TV that during his trip down the waterslide last year with a friend, the friend's shoulder strap came "completely off." Caleb was the son of Scott Schwab, a former Republican state senator who recently took office as the Kansas secretary of state. 'I'm not supposed to be here': Penn doc on mission to find treatments, PennDOT worker remains seriously injured after hit-and-run. He would have fallen down without the raft.". ", But how can a ride this extreme be safe for anyone? He said there were two women sitting in the back of the raft with blood on them. I was hired as an admissions cashiertaking payment and . We noticed my friends harness was completely off and we overheard him yelling, you know, my harness is off and it had been off from the beginning of the ride, she said Wednesday morning. Among those indicted were Jeffrey Wayne Henry, a co-owner of Schlitterbahn Companies and a designer of the waterslide; John Timothy Schooley, also a designer of the slide; and Henry & Sons Construction Company, Inc., the corporation involved in building the slide. We want to hear what you think about this article. Castaneda said two other woman were strapped into the raft, and the first position of the raft was empty. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Market data provided by Factset. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. North Dakota news site MyNDNow.com reports the boy's parents were with him at the park that day. By Elizabeth Chuck. Numerous elected officials and their families were in the park when the tragedy happened. August 9, 2016 5:21 PM EDT. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, The horrific events incident happened onthe 'Verruckt'ride and the boy's brother saw it, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Kansas City Police also released more information about the incident Monday, calling the boy's death a "fatal neck injury at the end of the ride." The Nebraska man said he "just held on," and a video shot by his wife shows the strap loose at the ride's end. Police confirmed to PEOPLE that he had been decapitated. It's like jumping off the Empire State Building. Castaneda said two other woman were strapped into the raft, and the first position of the raft was empty. The boy's father, state Rep. Scott Schwab, thanked the community for the outpouring of support his family has received. Still, if other recent tragedies are any indication, some people will undoubtedly judge his parents for allowing Caleb to ride this attraction. We didnt know whether we had it figured out or not.. All Rights Reserved. 'Life After Lockup' Season 4 Couple Updates, Baring it All! 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.. Feb. 24, 2019. Past close calls reported after boy dies on waterslide Family took photos of friend's snapped harness; Details on 'Fox & Friends' Several passengers who rode the waterslide where a 10-year-old. An investigation has been launched into how the incident occurred on the "Verruckt" raft ride at the Kansas City attraction. It's the scariest thing I've done.". Several passengers who rode the waterslide where a 10-year-old boy was decapitated Sunday said that the rides Velcro-like straps would come loose, and that at least one lifeguard claimed they were just for show. Family took photos of friend's snapped harness; Details on 'Fox & Friends'. In considering whether those charges were appropriate, the judge agreed with defense attorneys that prosecutors had misled the grand jury by showing made-for-TV video footage for a Travel Channel show, "Xtreme Waterparks," which prosecutors used to allege a reckless attitude toward construction of Verrckt. 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