On August 7, 2016, what started as an enjoyable day at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas took a tragic turn, transforming into a horrifying incident as 10-year-old Caleb Schwab lost his life in a tragic accident while riding the Verrückt waterslide, resulting in decapitation.
In August 2016, 10-year-old Caleb Thomas Schwab excitedly waited in line to experience the world's tallest waterslide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas. Dubbed Verrückt, which translates to "insane" in German, the slide had gained popularity as the park's main attraction. Unfortunately, Caleb's ride took a tragic turn, concluding in a heartbreaking incident.
On that fateful day, Caleb embarked on a three-person raft, descending down the slide. Yet, midway through the ride, the force propelled Caleb out of the raft, launching him into the emergency netting. Tragically, the 10-year-old collided with a metal pole, resulting in instant decapitation and a devastating loss of life.
The examination into Caleb Schwab's tragic demise uncovered unsettling details about the ride's construction, exposing a narrative of negligence, responsibility, and a deeply concerning absence of oversight within the nation's amusement park industry.
The Schwab Family's Fateful Day At The Schlitterbahn Waterpark
Born on January 23, 2006, in Kansas, Caleb Schwab was one of four boys raised in a highly dynamic household. His days were largely filled with sports activities, particularly as he dedicated much of his time to playing baseball for a local team known as the Mudcats.
The Schwab residence was quite ordinary, with the notable exception of Caleb's father, Scott. Serving as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019, Scott's professional role was the catalyst for the Schwab family's visit to Schlitterbahn in the first place.
On August 7, 2016, Schlitterbahn Waterpark organized "Elected Officials Day," during which elected representatives like Scott Schwab and his family were granted complimentary admission to the park.
Schlitterbahn stood out as one of Kansas's most popular waterparks, being one of five of its kind in the country and boasting an array of attractions, including 14 waterslides and two pools. It was no surprise that the Schwab children were thrilled at the prospect of enjoying a day there.
The Schwab family's day began with attending church in the morning, after which they packed up their car and headed to Schlitterbahn for a day filled with amusement. Scott Schwab fondly recalls Caleb's eagerness to experience the world's tallest slide. As soon as they arrived, Caleb and his 12-year-old brother, Nathan, wasted no time and made a direct beeline for the towering ride.
As reported by ABC News, Scott Schwab emphasized to his sons the importance of solidarity by saying, "Brothers stick together."
"Look at me. Brothers stick together," he repeated.
"I know, Dad," Caleb replied. Regrettably, those were the last words Caleb spoke to his father.
Upon climbing the 264 stairs to the Verrückt, ride operators, in adherence to weight requirements for the waterslide rafts, decided to split up the two brothers. Nathan took the plunge first, leaving Caleb on his own.
After an exhilarating ride, Nathan anxiously waited at the bottom of the slide for his brother. Meanwhile, back at the top, Caleb Schwab joined the front of a three-person raft. Seated behind him were two sisters unrelated to the Schwab family. Together, they embarked on the tragic descent.
The Tragic Incident On The World's Tallest Waterslide
Separated from their sons, Scott Schwab and his wife, Michelle, were relaxing and looking after their younger children when Nathan hurriedly approached them.
As reported to ABC News by Michelle Schwab: "[Nathan] was screaming, 'He flew from the Verrückt, he flew from the Verrückt,'"
Upon receiving reports of a loud boom and an injured boy at the Verrückt, waterpark staff promptly responded. Upon arrival, they discovered Caleb Schwab's lifeless body floating in the pool at the base of the slide.
While aboard the raft, Caleb and the other two riders reached speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. As they descended the second hill, the raft went airborne, leading to a collision between Caleb and the netting above the slide. The impact force resulted in Caleb's decapitation, leading to instantaneous and tragic loss of life.
The occupants of the raft, aside from Caleb, sustained facial injuries, including a broken jaw and other bone fractures, but fortunately survived.
Upon witnessing the distressing situation, park staff promptly contacted emergency services and secured the area by creating a blockade.
"There was a gentleman who wouldn't allow me to come close enough to see what was going on, and he just kept saying, 'Trust me, you don't want to go any further,'" Michele Schwab said to ABC News. "I kind of knew in my mind that I shouldn't see it, that I probably don't want to see it."
As reported by ABC News, Scott Schwab promptly requested one of the employees to provide him with the unvarnished truth: "I said, 'I just need to hear you say, is my son dead?' And [the employee] just shook his head. 'I need to hear it from you…is my son dead?' And he said, 'Yes, your son's dead.'"
The Shocking History Of The Verrückt Waterslide
The narrative of how Caleb Schwab tragically lost his life on the Verrückt began long before he set foot on the ride.
Following several setbacks, Schlitterbahn Waterpark unveiled Verrückt to the public in July 2014. Standing at a towering height of 168 feet seven inches, Verrückt surpassed the height of Niagara Falls. Those brave enough to take the inaugural plunge recounted it as a mixture of exhilaration and terror.
As outlined in Texas Monthly, assessments encompassed: "Most amazing ride I've ever ridden," "Like dropping out of the sky," and "Terrifying and horrible and terrific."
The ride quickly became a sensation and retained its status as the park's standout attraction until the tragic incident involving Caleb Schwab's death.
After the accident, Schlitterbahn Waterpark promptly shut down the park for a three-day period. When operations resumed, the Verrückt waterslide remained closed as authorities conducted their investigation.
Initially, investigators were uncertain about how the ride led to Caleb's tragic death. The incident appeared to be an unexpected occurrence, a freak accident that couldn't have been foreseen. However, as investigators interviewed park employees and past thrill-seekers, the inherent danger of the Verrückt gradually became more evident.
During an interview with Esquire, an unidentified lifeguard confessed: "I told my friends and family it was only a matter of time until someone died on Verrückt." After the slide was examined: "guaranteed that rafts would occasionally go airborne in a manner that could severely injure or kill the occupants."
Throughout the creation and testing of the ride, rafts consistently became airborne on its second hill. In footage from the Travel Channel's program "Xtreme Waterparks," the ride's creators, Jeff Henry and John Schooley, express frustration at the sluggish development of the ride while witnessing rafts soaring in front of them.
Henry and Schooley engaged in multiple cycles of constructing and deconstructing the ride, limiting access to test runs to a small, trusted group of employees. Ultimately, after the final construction of the slide, the duo sought to address the issue of rafts going airborne by installing emergency netting above the ride.
Tragically, approximately two years later, this modification, coupled with a myriad of administrative and operational lapses, would result in the loss of Caleb Schwab's life.
The Trial Of The Schlitterbahn Staff After Caleb Schwab's Death
After a thorough investigation into the incident, legal authorities filed second-degree murder charges against Jeff Henry, John Schooley, and the general contractor Henry and Sons Construction Co. Additionally, Schlitterbahn operations manager Tyler Miles faced manslaughter charges for his involvement in concealing prior accidents at the park.
The evidence presented, including footage from Travel Channel videos and internal reports from Schlitterbahn Waterpark, revealed indications of deliberate negligence.
Prosecutors alleged that Miles concealed numerous injury reports related to Verrückt. As reported by Esquire, a minimum of 13 individuals documented non-fatal injuries, ranging from concussions to herniated discs and swollen eyes, resulting from their experiences on the slide.
Despite a multitude of reports highlighting significant safety issues associated with the slide, Miles persisted in disregarding them.
Subsequent inquiry also uncovered a troubling absence of qualifications on the part of the ride designer, Jeff Henry. A high school dropout with no formal education in engineering, Henry's lack of credentials raised serious concerns.
In developing the slide, Henry and Schooley, both lacking substantial engineering experience, relied on "crude trial-and-error" approaches to formulate plans for the slide, as reported by KCUR.
According to court documents, Schooley was reported as saying: "If we actually knew how to do this and it could be done that easily, it wouldn't be that spectacular,"
Given these facts, the case appeared straightforward. Henry, Schooley, and Miles would face imprisonment, families would attain justice, and valuable lessons would be gleaned.
However, things did not unfold in that manner.
The Legacy Of Caleb Schwab And The Unexpected Turn In The Schlitterbahn Case
In the beginning of 2019, Judge Robert Burns dismissed all charges against Jeff Henry, John Schooley, and Tyler Miles, citing prejudicial evidence.
The judge ruled that the footage from the Travel Channel show was excessively dramatized and characterized it as a misleading portrayal of the ride's development.
Furthermore, Judge Burns criticized the credibility of a witness whose testimony was presented in court. More alarmingly, he asserted that Henry and Schooley could not have violated any ride safety laws, as the state of Kansas had notably lenient regulations.
In a statement, Judge Burns wrote: "The state's expert witness repeatedly referred to engineering standards that were not required under Kansas law at the time Verrückt was constructed; and that the same expert improperly referred to another death that occurred at a Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Texas in 2013. Quite simply, these defendants were not afforded the due process protections and fundamental fairness Kansas law requires."
In 2017, the Schwab family reached a settlement of 20 million dollars with Schlitterbahn Waterpark and other companies. The majority of the settlement funds were allocated to a scholarship fund named Can I Go Play, inspired by one of Caleb's favorite questions to ask his parents. This fund aims to "help kids who are willing to work hard and dedicate themselves to the discipline of getting better at whatever sport they love, be able to pursue that passion without being held back by money."
Scott Schwab, leveraging his position as a Kansas state representative, has actively advocated for more stringent regulations in amusement parks.
After delivering an impassioned speech to the Kansas House of Representatives, the legislature passed a law mandating annual inspections of amusement park rides. Inspections must be conducted by an inspector certified by one of several national boards, a certified engineer with at least two years of experience in the amusement park industry, or an individual with five years of experience in the same industry. The law also compels parks to promptly report any injuries.
The family's attorneys conveyed to ABC: "While trying to piece their lives back together and while pursuing claims against responsible parties, the Schwabs have committed to ensuring this slide never operates again and that rules are implemented requiring close oversight of amusement parks. As a result of their efforts, the Verrückt has been decommissioned and will be dismantled once litigation concludes. The push for close governmental oversight will continue."
When questioned by ABC News about how his family was coping with the loss of their son, Scott Schwab remarked: "We have a box of greeting cards from around the world, and we just want people to know we're grateful, and yeah, we're still hurting, but we're going to be okay."
