. I think about all the great customers who choose to come to a Schlitterbahn to spend their family vacations. Sensing opportunity, the Henrys opened a Schlitterbahn in South Padre Island, in 2001. 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. The gate swung open, and the conveyor belt underneath the raft began to move. Table of contents what happened to caleb schwab kansas city? If the completed ride still didnt meet his expectations, hed tear it down and start over. Caleb's family received nearly $20 million in . ET. 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. Tests were showing that the rafts were going too fast and the g-forces were so powerful that passengers might pass out. ), Its a tragedy, Jeff told me. The real Jeff Henry was not indicted. To have committed a crime, they would have had to have known that their actions could result in injury or death. Im from Texas, he said later. Over the next two days, we spoke four times, despite his lawyers demanding we stop. And the lawyers could argue that the two men were not criminally negligent. You read it quietly and are reminded again that Caleb Schwab should still be here. When the slide opened to the public, in July 2014, riders reviews were a publicists dream. Some states have agencies that inspect water parks; others rely on the parks own insurance companies to do inspections. I always set out to break all therecords, Jeff told USA Today. I remember hearing about the accident on the news and thought that the park was going to shut down. And Verrckt, a ride that lasted only eighteen seconds, was considered to be his crowning achievement. Witness Esteban Castenada told ABC 7 News. In 1998 the New Braunfels Schlitterbahn was named the countrys Best Waterpark in a poll conducted by, 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. And, of course, they loved Jeffs increasingly daring rides. 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 world's tallest waterslide,. But instead of staying in its fiberglass flume and cresting the hill, the raft flew up into the air. Three riders inside a rubber raft would plummet down a nearly vertical seventeen-story drop at speeds reaching up to 68 miles per hour. Have you been aware of any complaints regarding Verrckt the ride in the last season? the detective asked. 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. Tell Jeff were going to let him graduate so that he no longer has to come back to school.. 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. Aug. 8 2016, Updated 5:55 p.m. An employee pushed a button, and the raft would take off. However, the particular ride that killed a 10-year old boy Sunday remains closed. 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. Schlitterbahn co-owner, Jeff Henry, reportedly said that there were engineering challenges behind the design with calculations originally based on roller coasters rather than water slides, according to USA Today. He was found dead at the bottom of the ride in a pool. Im not quite sure yet, he replied. They would have to study such factors as the effect of water friction and even wind velocity on the rafts. . 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". Later, some gruesome details were revealed about the boy's death. But Jeff, the middle child, wasnt interested at all in a formal education. alized the time had come to do it, he told me later. No comment, Jeff said. That boat flew. The witness, Esteban Castaneda, said he heard booms before seeing the boy wash down the slide after the raft. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. It lifted off the chute and went airborne, landing several yards away. 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). aftermath image of Caleb's death out of her head. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission only has jurisdiction over traveling amusement parks, like pop-up carnivals. 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. as to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community. (Jeffs attorney dismissed her accusations, claiming that such statements are common in contentious divorce proceedings. He posted a $500,000 bond and surrendered his passport. 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. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. of what decapitated the poor child, the blood pooling at the bottom and where his brother stood. Everything went fine until the raft reached the top of the second hill. Schwab boarded the raft with two women who were not related to him. The 168-foot-tall Verruckt is one of the top attractions of Schlitterbahn. And he was sometimes as obstinate with coworkers as he used to be with his high school teachers. The Schwab family may also file a personal injury claim on behalf of Caleb. As her friends recalled Carolyn looked elder than her age. When he was in meetings, he pulled off his boots and propped his bare feet up on the table. 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. You go back, you fix it, you make it work, you keep it safe, he said. Industry insiders said the Kansas City Schlitterbahn needed a joltsomething big, really bigthat would help it live up to the early hype and investment. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. He stepped into the front of the raft, and an employee secured him to his seat with a Velcro belt and a shoulder strap. She was born in 1940 and died in 1954. KANSAS CITY, Kan. As more information comes out about what happened to cause 10-year-old Caleb Schwab's tragic death, the concern over amusement park safety grows. So many Schlitterbahn customers wanted to go down the ride that park officials began requiring them to sign up for time slots. Finally, in June 2014, after several successful sandbag runs, they decided it was time for humans to ride it. Witnesses at the time said he went down the first drop, then flew out and hit the netting that enclosed the ride. Jess Stanford and Melanie Gocke were at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, on the same day a ten-year-old boy was killed on the 17-storey ride last week. He said that he was never told about the eleven injuries on Verrckt prior to Calebs death, nor was he told about the 2016 maintenance problems. One of the most intriguing came from a Kansas City investor. Over the next several days, more Schlitterbahn employees rode Verrckt without problems, and on July 10, after thirty months of work, the slide opened to the public. A humid breeze presses down on the dead summer grass. 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. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. The Kansas City Schlitterbahn is one of five Schlitterbahn parks in the country. 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. Indeed, for the next two years, there were no public indications that Verrckt had any problems at all. (Besides the felony conviction in 1994, he was convicted in 2007 on a misdemeanor charge of possession.) A free day at Schlitterbahn. Thats what I do.. Dad Scott previously told Good Morning America of the last time he spoke to Caleb just before he set off for the ride, which has now been torn down. 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 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. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. OLATHE, Kan. Friends and family of Caleb Schwab, 10, who died Sunday, Aug. 7 at Schlitterbahn Water Park gathered Friday at LifeMission Church, 16111 S. Lone Elm Rd., in Olathe to celebrate his He always thought he was right., Yet Jeff made no apologies. Caleb Thomas Schwab, . 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. Aug 23, 2016 AP Three weeks after Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old son of a Kansas lawmaker, was decapitated while riding Verrckt, the world's tallest waterslide, experts are still trying to. During his senior year, the school superintendent went to his father and said, Bob, I have to be honest. Caleb Thomas Schwab, Kansas Politician's Son, Dies On World's Tallest Water Slide. Its sort of beautiful, isnt it? she said. Behind him were two young womenone 32 years old and the other 25sisters who lived near the Kansas-Nebraska state line. This time, it worked perfectly. When the park opened in 2009, expanses of dirt surrounded much of it. But there is nothing in the law that requires the inspector to have any particular certifications. He said he wanted to raise their three children in a small town, just as he had been raised. This past spring, Kansas City prosecutors began meeting with a grand jury, and in late March, the jury issued indictments. Authorities have yet to explain how it happened. (A single rider, lying on his back, shot straight down the slide, slowed during the long water brake, and finally came to a stop in a runout pool.) Courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts; Retouching: Will Herwig, AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Jill Toyoshiba, A half century earlier, in 1966, a Houston accountant named Bob Henry told. At Calebs funeral at the LifeMission Church in Olathe, five days after his death, the grief among the mourners was overwhelming. The hoop sliced into his neck, and he was instantly decapitated. Where to park for free at Clearwater Beach? A light breeze rattled the leaves. They asked Jeff if he had any projects in the works. 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. Bob, Billye, and the kidsGary, Jeff, and Janapiled into the familys Ford station wagon and drove to the Landa to give it a look. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Since the ride was torn down, former employees have alleged that both ride inspections and staff training were inadequate. Carolyn Wasilewski was a 14 year old girl who was found dead on the train tracks in Baltimore, Maryland. On Sunday, ten-year-old Caleb Schwab died at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City while on a 168 foot high slide. She said: "He was screaming: 'He flew from Verruckt! There are two Bible verses on the back of Caleb's headstone. The riders were divided into groups of three and ordered to step on a large scale. Those who reached him first "just realised he was dead and didn't try to revive him", she added. But the first time, you dont know. 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.". Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. Today is the fifth anniversary of the traumatic death. 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'. Courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts. Republican lawmaker Scott Schwab's son Caleb died on the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. Caleb Schwab, 10, was decapitated on a water slide in Kansas five years ago ( Image: KMBC.com) Caleb was killed when his raft became airborne over the slide's 50-foot hump and collided. Caleb Schwab died on Aug. 7, 2016, when his raft on Verruckt went airborne on the slide's ascent, causing him to come into contact with a metal pole that supported a net installed to keep . 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. The two other occupants -- Hannah Barnes and Matraca Baetz -- suffered. Were not sure how to handle Jeff. According to family legend, the superintendent then handed Bob a diploma. The two adult women with Caleb were severely injured in the incident. Caleb Schwab autopsy report was being searched by several people as they wanted to know the cause of the 10-year-old boy's death. 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. Miles, then the operations director, hid or destroyed documents detailing injuries sustained by riders . As you can see, at the time it was shot, there were no safety nets enclosing the chute to retain the rafts. Schlitterbahn was perhaps not the scene of a freak horrific accident, the prosecutors were saying, but the scene of a crime. 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. The speed slide its name means "insane" in German and it is certified as. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. "I looked over and saw his broken neck and him sliding down the slide leaving a blood trail," a witness aid.. He later added another water coaster, the Master Blaster, that was six stories tall and filled with thrilling hairpin turns. Theres a whole bunch of factors that crept in on this one that we just didnt know about., Whenever he did interviews for the TV show, Jeff seemed obsessed with Verrckt, as if it were his white whale. Schlitterbahn, meanwhile, is reeling. (Bob died in October 2016, after a long illness, and Billye died in her sleep last year.) There are so many questions remaining about the rides construction. He named the park Schlitterbahn, which means, roughly, slippery road in German, and hired his children to help him manage it. She was known to be indulged in many petty crimes such as auto theft. But at least one of the men was clearly nervous. It was quiet. They would need to determine what the minimum and maximum weights of the passengers in each raft should be, and they would need to find out what gravitational and centrifugal forces those passengers would be able to sustain. It is a seriously dangerous piece of equipment today because there are things that we dont know about it, he said at one point. Caleb Schwab was one of three passengers in the raft on the Verruckt ride at the Kansas city water park when he died. Bearded and scruffy, he almost always wore a dirty, creased ball cap, an old fishing shirt, shorts, and muddy boots. When Jeff and Schooley erected Verrckt, the state charged, they had knowingly created a deadly weapon. Instead of using fundamental mathematical and physics calculations to design and build the ride, the two men had rushed forward relying almost entirely on crude trial-and-error methods. And although they realized that their finished product guaranteed that rafts would occasionally go airborne in a manner that could severely injure or kill the occupants, they went ahead and opened the ride anyway. Dead on the parks own insurance companies to do inspections Son Caleb died on Verruckt. Then handed Bob a diploma was in meetings, he pulled off boots... Ride it screaming: 'He flew from Verruckt past spring, Kansas City investor, Dies on &! Were going too fast and the other 25sisters who lived near the state. Or death, we spoke four times, despite his lawyers demanding we stop after long... 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