KS - Caleb Schwab, 10, dies on 17-story Schlitterbahn waterpark slide, Aug 2016

[GeeEm]

Getting velcro wet is not a disaster waiting to happen. That's why it's used in many aquatic products. Being wet doesn't affect it's ability to stay closed. Debris in the velcro and wear can cause it to not secure properly but being wet in itself is not a factor. It's used by divers, surfers, and in swimming pool equipment and gear. Naturally, it's always sewn in and not taped onto products. JMO

Rocco,
I provided a link with a lot more information about Verruckt. I did a good bit of snipping, however I suggest you read the article.

August 10, 2016
5:06 PM EDT

Water park where boy died had rides privately inspected

Ken Martin, a Richmond, Virginia-based amusement park safety consultant, questioned whether the straps were appropriate, suggesting that a more solid restraint system that fits over the body -- similar to those used in roller coasters -- may have been better.


John Rust, a professor 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. It also can degrade with use.

"It's got to be used in a safe manner, and that doesn't include stopping someone's fall or preventing someone's ejection," Rust said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/water-p...-in-june/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=27537437

 

[Blue Skies]

He probably had on a special colored wrist band, and the employees would have been told to be nice to the VIPs. Because they are the ones who allow the park to stay open with no regulations.

True....I did not think of that and it had slipped my mind that it was even the free day for senators when I posted that. Thanks.


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[LaborDayRN]

Just a thought........if it can be proven that the owner/operator was negligent with maintenance and knowingly operating a unsafe ride (people had reported/complained about the loose straps and lax regulations upon boarding) could the owner be criminally negligent? I sure hope so.

quoting myself to say I should have read ahead. I see many people had the same thought WAY before I did. RIP Caleb. This shouldn't have happened to you or your brother! What a heartbreaking story.

 

[SophieRose]

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-do-you-build-worlds-tallest-waterslide-180952069/?no-ist

"The second bump is what makes it much more than just a high speed drop slide. Roller coasters have valleys and hills and we wanted this element," Schooley explains. "We invented uphill water coasters and felt we could ramp up that technology to make a truly spectacular ride experience. As it turned out this decision made the ride vastly more difficult to develop."

snip

Water park safety regulations vary from state to state, and rarely concern themselves with water slide geometry—instead they're more guidelines for the swimming areas, requiring clean water and ample warning signs. In the absence of concrete safety regulations, Schlitterbahn worked under Texas' waterpark standards, with Schooley says are some of the most stringent in the country, and third-party consultants, to ensure the ride's safety.

 

[SophieRose]

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/worlds-largest-waterslide

With an updated total weight limit of between 181kg and 250 kg the redesigned ride saw over 100 safe sandbag tests before opening and has already seen over 1,000 human riders, including the mayor of Kansas City, since.

 

[fred&edna]

I believe 2012 is an error. The ride appears to have opened in July 2014.

"Published on Jul 1, 2014 Get a look at the first ride down the Verruckt Waterslide. Featuring waterpark designer Jeff Henry and ride engineer John Schooley -- see the insanity that is responsible for the world's tallest waterslide."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NG-uY...xahj1GwfftxuN8DQVk5rbmS1oDctl5-SEiTY4hYtXSGjW

Here's a July 2014 USA Today report about the opening of the ride. (Not a direct quote but... maybe the age restriction was removed after they decided it was (in their words) "safe dangerous"?? I noticed the report was edited July 11 and it appears the ride opened July 10.

Riders must be at least 54-inches tall, and while previously the park had instituted an age minimum of 14 years, they've since removed it, saying the height requirement is sufficient.

Also of note, the link contains a video of the reporter on the first official ride.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/trave...uckt-water-slide-schlitterbahn-park/12411769/

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

So, neither of the owners/builders/designers had any formal training in engineering.

"We pretty much built the ride in house, from start to finish, with some outside consulting from safety experts and engineers," Schooley says of the Kansas City, Kansas attraction. "A project like this is really a group effort."

Snip

Schooley's models could predict some of the friction and G-forces that would act on a rider plummeting down the Verrückt, but drawing precise conclusions from these calculations is tricky because of the as-of-yet unmentioned major component: water.

"What’s really difficult on these slides is that we can know something about friction with the size of the raft and how much weight will be in it, but when you start adding water into the equation, there’s actually no way to really know what’s going to happen in terms of hydraulic friction forces on it other than testing it," he explains.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/trave...est-waterslide-180952069/#LlXfHp1rsRe5Ryll.99

BBM

Ummm... no, I'm pretty sure there are hydraulics engineers who actually know how to compute the effects of water and adjust the design accordingly, before it's built.

Because, you know, they actually studied hydraulics engineering...


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[Wyle_E_Coyote]

And a bit more from the Smithsonian article...

BBM

So how does one go about building the world's tallest water slide—and more importantly, ensuring it's safe? Amazingly, it's little more than trial and error.


Henry has over a dozen waterpark-related patents to his name, like the Master Blaster, an uphill water coaster technology that uses water canons to propel riders up slopes. Schooley is a designer with a degree in biology and a background building yachts, and when Henry asked him for help designing the Master Blaster, Schooley found moving from yachts to water slides an easy transition. But when Henry decided to build the world's tallest water slide, the pair realized their ride might have more in common with roller coasters than with the traditional water park slide.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/trave...est-waterslide-180952069/#LlXfHp1rsRe5Ryll.99


These yahoos were completely unqualified and had no business building something like this.

Real engineers do not design through trial and error.

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[loveisthemovement]

I am no expert, but I would assume the ride would be designed to ensure no one came out of the raft (if weight minimums were met) and that the damn netting was there to stop projectiles (not people) from injuring people below.

 

[neesaki]

Fox news calls it a decapitation:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/1...e-passengers-claim-it-was-clearly-unsafe.html

And as Ken Martin, safety consultant stated "it's nothing more than a roller coaster with water". Yet roller coaster cars are connected / fastened to the rails, so they can't go airborne. Just think about it, IMO its appalling that this ride was ever built.

 

[neesaki]

Getting velcro wet is not a disaster waiting to happen. That's why it's used in many aquatic products. Being wet doesn't affect it's ability to stay closed. Debris in the velcro and wear can cause it to not secure properly but being wet in itself is not a factor. It's used by divers, surfers, and in swimming pool equipment and gear. Naturally, it's always sewn in and not taped onto products. JMO

What caused the Velcro not to work isn't the point, the point is it didn't work, it didn't hold. IOW, it's inappropriate and inadequate as a restraint system on this ride.

 

[Madeleine74]

I bet there will be petitions created to shut down this ride permanently, and with enough public pressure the park will have to to assuage an angry and concerned customer base.

 

[loveisthemovement]

What caused the Velcro not to work isn't the point, the point is it didn't work, it didn't hold. IOW, it's inappropriate and inadequate as a restraint system on this ride.

Would velco be used on a roller coaster? No. This is a roller coaster on water - as stated by the designer.

 

[x_files]

So, neither of the owners/builders/designers had any formal training in engineering.

"We pretty much built the ride in house, from start to finish, with some outside consulting from safety experts and engineers," Schooley says of the Kansas City, Kansas attraction. "A project like this is really a group effort."

Snip

Schooley's models could predict some of the friction and G-forces that would act on a rider plummeting down the Verrückt, but drawing precise conclusions from these calculations is tricky because of the as-of-yet unmentioned major component: water.

"What’s really difficult on these slides is that we can know something about friction with the size of the raft and how much weight will be in it, but when you start adding water into the equation, there’s actually no way to really know what’s going to happen in terms of hydraulic friction forces on it other than testing it," he explains.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/trave...est-waterslide-180952069/#LlXfHp1rsRe5Ryll.99

BBM

Ummm... no, I'm pretty sure there are hydraulics engineers who actually know how to compute the effects of water and adjust the design accordingly, before it's built.

Because, you know, they actually studied hydraulics engineering...


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This is absolutely horrifying! This is why state and federal regulations are a good thing.

 

[Deeya]

Update: The following CNN article mentions that the Verrückt water slide passed a safety inspection conducted by an insurance company on behalf of the park on June 7, 2016.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/10/us/kansas-city-water-slide/index.html

Two weeks prior to the tragic incident a rider whose safety harness malfunctioned on the Verrückt water slide brought it to the attention of workers at the Park and lodged a complaint online. The video in this KCTV5 article shows that the failed velcro restraints on the gentleman (around 50 sec into the video). Unfortunately, the issue was not addressed promptly.

http://www.kctv5.com/story/32713388/riders-say-verruckt-harness-was-faulty-water-park-didnt-address-concerns-enough

Note: I apologize if this link / video was already posted.

 

[Madeleine74]

IMO no one under 18 should be able to get on a ride like this. If you're a legal adult then fine, take the risk. But under 18 (and under the minimum height/weight requirements)? No way.

 

[Tssiemer]

I bet there will be petitions created to shut down this ride permanently, and with enough public pressure the park will have to to assuage an angry and concerned customer base.

I think the dad being an elected official and a law make will not rest until it's shut down.


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[Madeleine74]

I think the dad being an elected official and a law make will not rest until it's shut down.

Well I don't mean only this one ride, but rides "like this one." I too think it's likely this particular ride will be shut down permanently (or modified *greatly* into a much different and tamer water ride).

 

[kimi_SFC]

This post from the Ferris wheel incident incident mentions the Feds being on scene, and the owner's son being JAILED, due to another bad accident prior to the one we are following now!

[...]
Two federal investigators with the Consumer Product Safety Commission are also on scene, confirmed Patty Davis, the agency's press secretary.
[...]

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-Ferris-wheel-at-fair&p=12742605#post12742605
ETA:

Ride operator had other incident before Ferris wheel spill http://dailym.ai/2aO0chd via @MailOnline

I hope the CPSC is on scene here and investigating the water slide.

I pray for #JusticeForCaleb


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[Everyday Grace]

This post from the Ferris wheel incident incident mentions the Feds being on scene, and the owner's son being JAILED, due to another bad accident prior to the one we are following now!

[...]
Two federal investigators with the Consumer Product Safety Commission are also on scene, confirmed Patty Davis, the agency's press secretary.
[...]

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-Ferris-wheel-at-fair&p=12742605#post12742605
ETA:

Ride operator had other incident before Ferris wheel spill http://dailym.ai/2aO0chd via @MailOnline

I hope the CPSC is on scene here and investigating the water slide.

I pray for #JusticeForCaleb


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That involved travelling amusement rides.

CPSC has not had jurisdiction over permanent amusement park rides since 1981, nor has any other federal agency.

Congresses have apparently been content to leave regulation and oversight of permanent rides to the states.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has jurisdiction over the safety of traveling amusement rides, but Congress lifted its juridiction over permanent installations in 1981.

http://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/13/us/amusement-park-safety-stirs-a-federal-debate.html

In 1981 the United States Congress examined the CPSC's authority to regulate fixed-site amusement rides.

Like several court cases prior to that time, Congress determined that fixed-site amusement rides could not be considered household products, are not within the consumer’s control, and are constantly maintained by a team of experts.

Congress concluded that the facility buys the product and the consumer buys the associated experience.

The CPSC acknowledged any effort to expand the agency’s jurisdiction to include fixed-site amusement rides requires increasing the agency's staff and budget.

Amusement parks continue to report incidents to state and local governments and partner with government officials and inspectors to ensure the safety of their guests.

http://www.iaapa.org/safety-and-advocacy/safety/amusement-ride-safety/regulations-standards

After last month’s [July 2013] tragic death on the Texas Giant rollercoaster at Six Flags, however, nationwide attention and scrutiny has focused on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) lack of jurisdiction over “fixed-site” amusement park rides. This jurisdictional carve out occurred in 1981 when the U.S. Congress stripped the CPSC of its jurisdiction over these rides through amendments to the Consumer Product Safety Act. As a result, rides that are “permanently fixed to a site” are only subject to voluntary standards written by the ASTM F-24 Committee on Amusement Rides and Devices and a patchwork of state-specific regulations.

https://www.consumerproductmatters....times-confusing-nature-of-cpscs-jurisdiction/