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

[Doghairrules]

you think engineers are perfect?....they are people, they are human and they make LOTS of mistakes,

just look at all of the recalls there have been on vehicles over the past 10 years alone, those are ALL engineering mistakes

this one i have seen personally....planned 47 floor story building, then deemed to be unsafe after more then half complete, had to be demolished....."Work on the Harmon stopped in 2008, after inspectors found steel used on the first 26 stories wouldn't support the remaining 22 floors."......yup good ole engineers for ya.....

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2014/dec/16/opening-arguments-begin-trial-over-flawed-strip-ho/

and take a look at this.....

http://wonderfulengineering.com/31-engineering-mistakes-that-make-you-wonder-who-gave-them-engineering-degrees/

Please just stop. We get it. It's everyone else's fault except for the owners and designers.


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[AmyPond]

Please just stop. We get it. It's everyone else's fault except for the owners and designers.


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Yep. And I think I am going to stop engaging because we're not going to change his mind and he's obviously not going to change ours.

 

[Jax49]

I don't think one needs to be an expert to figure out how he died. Velcro used for restraints, a number of people prior having their restraints fail (but since they were adults, they were able to hold themselves in). A child wouldn't have enough body strength to hold himself in the boat if his restraints fail.

I was under the impression the entire raft went air born and the child hit a metal support ring used to hold up the net.

Did I dream that? I can't find a MSM source...

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

I was under the impression the entire raft went air born and the child hit a metal used to hold up the net.

Did I dream that? I can't find a MSM source...

No one has officially said, whether it went airborne or the straps failed or some combination of both is speculation based on what other riders have said about their experiences. There have been pictures of people at the end of the slide with the straps detached and accounts of the rafts lifting up at the peak of the second hill, and of course video of the sandbags and rafts flying off during testing.

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[AmyPond]

I would be surprised if the entire raft went airborne. But I would NOT be surprised to find out the front of the raft went airborne a bit based on the weight distribution and whatnot.

 

[neesaki]

The flaw with comparing this to a motor vehicle to me is this: a motor vehicle belongs to the consumer. The consumer is co responsible for the running parts of said motor vehicle. If seatbelt straps wear out, or the engine light goes on, said consumer must bring his automobile to a dealer or mechanic for repair. Also the consumer is responsible for maintenance, wear and tear and general overall health of said vehicle.
JMO, MOO, IMO

Now, a parent of a ten year old boy has the reasonable expectation the their son would arrive at the top of this ride, be strapped in, in the correct position, ride the ride and complete the ride intact and safe. He's not driving a car. He's on a ride in a multimillion dollar family amusement park where his parents believe all safety precautions are taken on a daily basis. They shouldn't have to wonder about the types of straps used to propel their most precious children down a waterslide at over 60 miles per hour. JMO, IMO, MOO

Sigh, I would not have allowed my 10 year old on this slide. I remember when my daughter met the height requirement for adult bumper rides but she was too young by three years. The kid manning the ride was encouraging me to let her go anyway. I think this is a problem in some parks. Any way, I don't blame ANYONE but the ride itself. I've been on log flumes where my entire behind has left the seat but was held in by bars. Who's idea was it to allow a flimsy TUBE without a tract to descend at speeds over 60 mpr? JMO, IMO, MOO.[emoji46]
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I think it's interesting that they initially had a 14 y/o minimum age requirement then changed it. Just think, if it had been left alone little Caleb would be alive today.

Your mention of the log flumes and coming out of the seat reminded me of riding the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney World. When the elevator dropped I came up out of the seat every time, but the bar kept me in. Then a few years later they started using seat belts instead of the bar, because of some lawsuit by a teenager claiming the ride caused her to have a heart attack or something. Chances are she had a pre-existing condition and shouldn't have gone on the ride anyway. And darn it, it's not nearly as much fun since they added the seat belts. :/

 

[Doghairrules]

Yep. And I think I am going to stop engaging because we're not going to change his mind and he's obviously not going to change ours.

I'm going to read your post every time I'm tempted. [emoji106]


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[AmyPond]

I wonder if/when anymore information will be released to the public about this. I don't want it to just be forgotten.

 

[gregjrichards]

I wonder if/when anymore information will be released to the public about this. I don't want it to just be forgotten.

It's going to depend on whether Caleb's family and the two ladies who were injured accept out of court settlements with a non-disclosure agreement or not. Though if the ride is to stay open the water park will need to say what they have done to make it safer. I hope they don't open it up again the way it currently is and pretend nothing has happened it's business as usual. I hope the government in Kansas improves state safety regulations too.

 

[jjenny]

I was under the impression the entire raft went air born and the child hit a metal support ring used to hold up the net.

Did I dream that? I can't find a MSM source...

Posters have been speculating which is what you probably remember. It hasn't been reported in msm.

 

[gregjrichards]

Posters have been speculating which is what you probably remember. It hasn't been reported in msm.

I wonder how much the two ladies remember it must have been a horrifying and chaotic situation that happened so quickly. I wonder how Caleb's family and these ladies are coping.

 

[KaaBoom]

Very interesting article.

"With enough investigation — analyzing records, studying designs, perhaps running wired crash dummies down the ride — experts promise they can learn why a 10-year-old boy died on a water slide.

Whether such an analysis of Caleb Schwab’s death on Schlitterbahn’s towering Verrückt is ever revealed publicly remains far less certain"

http://www.kansascity.com/news/article96777077.html

That article does not make me optimistic, that we will even know what went wrong. The entire legal and regulatory system in Kansas, is designed to protect corporations against wrongful death suits from people who are killed because of the negligence of the corporation.

I predict that Schlitterbahn will make an out of court settlement for a ridiculously small amount of money. The state will release their one page report calling for some minor changes to the ride, Schlitterbahn will make the changes and then reopen the ride, pretty much just as it was before this incident.

 

[KaaBoom]

I was under the impression the entire raft went air born and the child hit a metal support ring used to hold up the net.

Did I dream that? I can't find a MSM source...

I don’t think we have enough information to conclude that.

 

[KaaBoom]

I think it's interesting that they initially had a 14 y/o minimum age requirement then changed it. Just think, if it had been left alone little Caleb would be alive today. /

From what I have read it seems this park is geared towards families. Which means that a large percentage of the potential riders would be below age 14. They probably need to have kids riding it to make it profitable. I would guess that as soon as the hoopla of the ride opening died down, they opened it up to everyone. Just another example of profits over safety.

 

[gregjrichards]

That article does not make me optimistic, that we will even know what went wrong. The entire legal and regulatory system in Kansas, is designed to protect corporations against wrongful death suits from people who are killed because of the negligence of the corporation.

I predict that Schlitterbahn will make an out of court settlement for a ridiculously small amount of money. The state will release their one page report calling for some minor changes to the ride, Schlitterbahn will make the changes and then reopen the ride, pretty much just as it was before this incident.

Sadly that is looking like the likely outcome. The only difference is Mr. Schwab is a State Senator which may make a difference to proceedings.

 

[Betty P]

Sadly that is looking like the likely outcome. The only difference is Mr. Schwab is a State Senator which may make a difference to proceedings.

I'm not so sure. He hasn't issued any kind of public statement to that effect. Unfortunately, some of these politicians are so adamantly in favor of protecting corporations they're able to rationalize the terrible consequences. They view it as an unforeseen accident that no one could have prevented or "God's will".

 

[Madeleine74]

Schwab's political opinions on the regulations in his state might shift and that will only be known later; right now I'm sure he's busy with just the devastating personal loss and grieving with his wife and children and getting by 1 day at a time. The Schwab family does appear to be very religious and that faith may guide them in ways spectators don't want or don't approve, but it's their loss and their right to view this in whatever light they want.

Representatives are supposed to represent and advocate for the citizens -- if the citizens of those jurisdictions don't make their opinions known to their representatives and hold them accountable for their votes, then they'll continue to get what they've gotten (lax requirements).

I would hope that the parents in KS would be more conscious of these types of dangers and be more vigilant now that they have learned about the lax requirements for parks and rides in their state compared to other states. It won't be spectators from other states or other countries that make a difference in KS -- this is a state-level deal, and requires the citizens of KS to make changes happen.

 

[jjenny]

I wonder how much the two ladies remember it must have been a horrifying and chaotic situation that happened so quickly. I wonder how Caleb's family and these ladies are coping.

From what has been reported, they don't know what happened.

 

[Jax49]

From what has been reported, they don't know what happened.

I can't imagine how they must be feeling. Well, actually I'm trying to not imagine. So sad for all the victims.

 

[Madeleine74]

The ride itself is something like 17 to 20 seconds. And the speeds can reach up to 70mph. They couldn't really know what happened other than suddenly they were each injured and bleeding and the little boy was dead. They were probably in shock from their injuries and just the confusion. If they had anything substantive to add to the investigation I'd be surprised.