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

[Eloise]

Not necessarily. If he went to some type of trade school or college for an associate or bachelor's degree out of high school then he would have between six to four years with credentials to propel him forward. If he just went into the trade without any kind of experience whatsoever, then he'd have up to eight years of experience. Regardless, IMO that's an adequate amount of time to garner experience for a job like that, so I can see it. Perhaps he may have had some kind of connection to someone within the company to help him get where he was (just a thought). With that being said, experience doesn't necessarily imply competence and that seems to definitely be the case here.

And it should be just common sense and basic human ethics that you would engage the correctly experienced and credentialed people to design, build and inspect a structure like this even if you yourself didn't have those credentials/experience.

 

[Morag]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-people-officials-say/?utm_term=.5e8bfb879cb9

No words...

 

[margarita25]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-people-officials-say/?utm_term=.5e8bfb879cb9

No words...

"Investigators say the company knew the*waterslide was unsafe and could result in injuries and deaths, but still rushed to open it to the public. Perhaps more*disturbing*is the allegation*that several injuries, from neck pain to concussion, had already occurred before Caleb’s death. Still, investigators allege, Schlitterbahn and Miles kept the ride open to the public — and even*hid reports of those injuries and other alarming safety problems from law-enforcement officers who were investigating the boy’s death."

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

The penalties aren't anywhere near long enough. They should all spend the rest of their lives in prison.

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[foleybrau]

This would never happen (to this extent) in most first world countries. I am an Engineer in Australia and I find it astounding a ride like this could open without intense scrutiny on top of due diligence.

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[jjenny]

I am curious why charges against the manager but not the owner or the ride designer?

 

[Betty P]

I am curious why charges against the manager but not the owner or the ride designer?

After reading the article at the Washington Post link, perhaps it had to do with hiding some of the evidence.

The sad thing is that, in the past, a major accident and cover up of complicity would have resulted in restoration of good safety standards. Today, that's less likely to happen.

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

Is the grand jury completely done? Any chance of more indictments being issued?

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[MaryG12]

In a quest to be the record holder for the world’s tallest waterslide, investigators say, Schlitterbahn Waterpark of Kansas City rushed to build a dangerous and structurally complicated ride, ignored glaring safety red flags and replaced mathematical calculations with “crude trial-and-error methods.”


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-people-officials-say/?utm_term=.b840587e1f43


Well Schlitterbahn can now lay claim to once having the world's most dangerous waterslide.

 

[loveisthemovement]

After reading through the indictment (wow), I wondered what the average number of injuries an amusement park ride would cause? Verruckt was causing one injury for every 13 days in operation. Is that more than average? Numbers would depend on the number of rides I suppose.

 

[beatrixpotter]

After reading through the indictment (wow), I wondered what the average number of injuries an amusement park ride would cause? Verruckt was causing one injury for every 13 days in operation. Is that more than average? Numbers would depend on the number of rides I suppose.

It just left me feeling like I never wanted me or my children to visit an amusement park again!

 

[jjenny]

Is the grand jury completely done? Any chance of more indictments being issued?

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Another arrest.
"Schlitterbahn Waterparks co-owner Jeffrey Wayne Henry was arrested Monday in connection with the 2016 decapitation death of a 10-year-old at the New Braunfels company’s Kansas park."
https://www.chron.com/business/loca...rrested-on-charges-in-12782884.php?ipid=hpctp

 

[gregjrichards]

Another arrest.
"Schlitterbahn Waterparks co-owner Jeffrey Wayne Henry was arrested Monday in connection with the 2016 decapitation death of a 10-year-old at the New Braunfels company’s Kansas park."
https://www.chron.com/business/loca...rrested-on-charges-in-12782884.php?ipid=hpctp

Glad he has been arrested too. What about the other rides? I don't believe this is the only ride they have been negligent with. Hopefully the park will shut down as safety has been compromised too much.

 

[gregjrichards]

Employees were required to take three test rides down the waterslide. Many days, Campbell says, no one volunteered, but someone had to do it.

“People started getting hurt, and people started test riding it. It was like, no I don’t want to do it,” Campbell said. “They are just making us, like, oh yeah, go test this it is fine, even though the test dummies fly off and they are still making us go on it. It’s like oh, should we do it, should we risk our life or our job for this?”

Campbell’s day came and would be the only time he would take the plunge on Verrückt.

“The first two times, it was good, nothing really happened,” Campbell said. “The third time they took one of the other lifeguards off so it was too less of weight. And at the very end we just kept going, didn’t stop. Hit the wall and flipped over.”

Campbell says after his crash, he had to go home because of a back injury, which took a while to heal, but Campbell eventually went back to work at Schlitterbahn. There was never a report written about his injury.

http://fox4kc.com/2018/03/25/former...ells-fox4-he-didnt-feel-safe-riding-verruckt/

It is time for a national health and safety executive to regulate these rides in the U.S leaving it up to individual states is clearly not working and putting people in danger.

 

[kaen]

http://fox4kc.com/2018/03/25/former...ells-fox4-he-didnt-feel-safe-riding-verruckt/

It is time for a national health and safety executive to regulate these rides in the U.S leaving it up to individual states is clearly not working and putting people in danger.

RSBM

I agree. Between reading this and the lack of fire safety in the Siberian Mall fire, I don't think I want to hear deregulation about any industry where people are altered or killed in favor of businesses policing themselves. This is a poster child for issues around deregulation.

 

[thepinkdragon]

Every time I drive by this monstrosity I want to throw up. I wish they would take it down already. It’s a terrible reminder of what happened.


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[MzOpinion8d]

This would never happen (to this extent) in most first world countries. I am an Engineer in Australia and I find it astounding a ride like this could open without intense scrutiny on top of due diligence.

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Part of the reason it was built in KS was for exactly that reason - lack of regulations and supervision.

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

Another arrest.
"Schlitterbahn Waterparks co-owner Jeffrey Wayne Henry was arrested Monday in connection with the 2016 decapitation death of a 10-year-old at the New Braunfels company’s Kansas park."
https://www.chron.com/business/loca...rrested-on-charges-in-12782884.php?ipid=hpctp

Jeffrey Henry, 62, co-owner of the Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts, was jailed in Cameron County and charged with murder, aggravated battery and aggravated child endangerment, according to*Cameron County's Inmate List.
http://www.newsweek.com/kansas-wate...r-10-year-old-boy-was-decapitated-raft-861212

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[gregjrichards]

Jeffrey Henry, 62, co-owner of the Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts, was jailed in Cameron County and charged with murder, aggravated battery and aggravated child endangerment, according to*Cameron County's Inmate List.
http://www.newsweek.com/kansas-wate...r-10-year-old-boy-was-decapitated-raft-861212

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Do you think he will be convicted of murder? I can easily see manslaughter, reckless child endangerment etc convictions. I'm glad the prosecutors are not fooling around it has been a long time coming.

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

Do you think he will be convicted of murder? I can easily see manslaughter, reckless child endangerment etc convictions. I'm glad the prosecutors are not fooling around it has been a long time coming.

Given that he's made public statements about the possibility of dying on it (with regards to himself), not to mention the whole lack of credentials, and ignoring warnings, I think they should be able to get a conviction. Depends on what degree they charge him with.

And I wouldn't be surprised if they have emails from him directing the Kansas guy to bury injury reports, keep all boats in the rotation, no repairs until end of the season...

The assault and endangerment... They could charge him with a count for every individual that ever went down that deathtrap.

ETA. And if they paid off any of the people who were injured and included a non-disclosure, that would do it as well.

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