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

[neesaki]

Wow, seriously. Considering the fact that Caleb wasn't just a normal kid without high powered parents! I'm disgusted!

This is why I said the investigation needed to be NTSB-level - as in beyond reproach.

I'm putting myself into a self-imposed time out before I say something I regret.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm in there with you.

 

[AmyPond]

Kansas is dealing with a budget crisis, and the state is responsible for making sure the rides are safe. They have not checked the rides in several years. So the ride may have been unsafe. Ironically, his dad is a KS lawmaker.
I also read that the rafts need to have about 500 pounds of weight in them. He was only 10 so I am guessing he never should have been on the ride.

Each boat needs to have between 400 to 550 pounds. No more, no less. This is according to the official Schlitterbahn website.

 

[fred&edna]

Kansas is dealing with a budget crisis, and the state is responsible for making sure the rides are safe. They have not checked the rides in several years. So the ride may have been unsafe. Ironically, his dad is a KS lawmaker.
I also read that the rafts need to have about 500 pounds of weight in them. He was only 10 so I am guessing he never should have been on the ride.

I thought there was an age requirement, but I just noticed this:

"An age requirement of 14 years was waived shortly after the ride opened in 2012, though the height mandate remained intact."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2016...er-slide-died-from-neck-injury/8241470737121/

 

[Greater Than]

I thought there was an age requirement, but I just noticed this:

"An age requirement of 14 years was waived shortly after the ride opened in 2012, though the height mandate remained intact."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2016...er-slide-died-from-neck-injury/8241470737121/

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

 

[Betty P]

Each boat needs to have between 400 to 550 pounds. No more, no less. This is according to the official Schlitterbahn website.

The problem with that is there is no verified outside experts who have studied and determined what the weight should be. In Kansas, the owners of these parks aren't required to meet any legitimate standards or conduct verifiable tests by established, impartial experts. The only analysis done on the ride has been conducted by someone who was paid by the park owners. That's a conflict of interest.

Kansas seems to be a nightmare of pretty much no regulations or standards for these amusement park companies.

 

[jjenny]

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.

But at the same time one would think they wouldn't have wanted to kill the VIP.

 

[jjenny]

"The boys’ father, State Rep. Schwab, consistently voted against regulating big businesses. The lax regulations and no height restriction for amusement park rides are the main reasons the park’s owners chose Kansas City to build their water slide."

http://sandrarose.com/2016/08/caleb-schwab-10-decapitated-on-worlds-tallest-water-slide/

 

[neesaki]

(Way behind here, I'm sure you guys already linked this thread that Reader started, http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ne-Kansas-City-Water-Slide-Reaches-17-Stories . Scary and chilling to read some of the posts by members here re safety concerns...)

I wonder if Verruckt's designer, Mr. John Schooley, still really likes what they have now. I dare him to say it.

http://fox4kc.com/2014/07/08/after-three-delays-officials-announce-insane-kck-water-slide-will-be-ready-thursday/

FOX 4's Matt Stewart spoke to one of Verrückt's designers, John Schooley. He was the first to go down the slide during testing and is certain it is now safe.
"We built it, we've been building it for two years. We designed it. We tested it. We didn't like what we saw. We tore two-thirds of it down and rebuilt it again in two or three weeks and we really like what we have now," he said.

 

[jjenny]

I wonder if Verruckt's designer, Mr. John Schooley, still really likes what they have now. I dare him to say it.

http://fox4kc.com/2014/07/08/after-three-delays-officials-announce-insane-kck-water-slide-will-be-ready-thursday/

He thought it was safe? People are being held by velcro, which at least several riders claim come undone during the ride. Netting might protect someone from flying off the ride, but obviously isn't going to save them, since the boy flew into netting, hit his head and was decapitated.

 

[jjenny]

Seriously, I think the designers should be willing to go down on the test runs, you know, the ones where the rafts fly off the slide ? Or, just until the raft goes airborne, and their neck is broken on the metal cage, like little Caleb's. Either one, that would be justice. JMO

They were willing. They were the first ones on that ride. But adult male isn't the same as a small child.

 

[neesaki]

They were willing. They were the first ones on that ride. But adult male isn't the same as a small child.

No, the first test runs were with sand bags , or something, not humans, lol. Did you see the videos where the rafts were flying off the slide ? No human could survive that , thus the sandbags, or maybe it was crash dummies...something like that.

 

[jjenny]

No, the first test runs were with sand bags , or something, not humans, lol. Did you see the videos where the rafts were flying off the slide ? No human could survive that , thus the sandbags, or maybe they said they used those crash dummies. It was something like that.

I should have said they were the first humans on the ride. But yea, I am surprised that ride was originally build that way with rafts flying of the slide.

 

[LaborDayRN]

I'm not surprised to be honest this is the busiest time of year for them & they aren't going to close the whole park despite this terrible tragedy. I'm not condoning this decision in any way.

When the ride came off the rails at Glasgow's main theme park here in Scotland with people injured a few months back. The whole park was shut until the Health & Safety executive a government body that regulates safety examined all the parks rides to ensure they were safe. The park is open fully but that ride isn't I know takings are way down as many families are staying away.

Visitor numbers will be down at the park Caleb died for the remainder of the season. They will be trying to figure out how to overhaul the ride to reassure people it is safe for next season. Unfortunately the only way the ride will close permanently is if people don't want to ride it anymore.

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.

 

[KaaBoom]

But at the same time one would think they wouldn't have wanted to kill the VIP.

That was a chance they were willing to take, to show off to the elected officials how well lack of regulations work. It obviously backfired on them.

 

[KaaBoom]

http://www.rideaccidents.com/ is a good site to see what accidents have happened at parks across the US over time. There are a fair amount.

When there is an entire website devoted just to that, you know it’s a problem. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like it is being updated.

 

[Sabra]

Fox news calls it a decapitation:

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

 

[GeeEm]

I am just holding my breathe to see exactly what happens with the ownership of Schlitterbahn.

It is just heartbreaking when I read his brother was riding the first one and was waiting for him at the bottom, and he had to witness the whole incident. Just tears me up, the families are certainly in my prayers.

I wonder if others will come forward with their problems with this ride. Personally, I hope it shuts down for good, getting velcro wet is a disaster waiting to happen if you ask me.

jmo :moo:

Fox news calls it a decapitation:

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

I knew there were going to be more people to come forward with complaints with the ride, I had seen it televised, I just did not have a link.

Thanks Sabra ~

 

[Rocco]

I am just holding my breathe to see exactly what happens with the ownership of Schlitterbahn.

It is just heartbreaking when I read his brother was riding the first one and was waiting for him at the bottom, and he had to witness the whole incident. Just tears me up, the families are certainly in my prayers.

I wonder if others will come forward with their problems with this ride. Personally, I hope it shuts down for good, getting velcro wet is a disaster waiting to happen if you ask me.

jmo :moo:

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

 

[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

Have you read and heard the history of the people whom have rode this? The velco would come loose or even unfastened during the ride. One couple on the news stated the velco even had duct tape on it.

This ride is a constant and I disagree with your statement. Wear and tear is a factor according to me, and reports I have listened to.

Regardless, the public has NOT been informed with the correct reasoning for this horrible death of a child that went to a park, after church to have fun

I never mentioned aquatic gear that is tested daily and replaced when needed. I highly doubt the velco was tested nearly as much as aquatic gear.

I can not provide you with links at this time, due to what I heard was on television.

If you read the post above, it may enlighten you to read the link to other peoples scary experiences on this ride.

JMO 🐮

 

[Sabra]

In almost every article I read there is another person complaining about problems with the straps, like this:

...Craig said that during her first trip down the ride with her son and one of his friends, her shoulder restraint came off, something she opted not to report to park workers. "I didn't think much about it," she said...So they rode it again, only to see the restraint on her son's friend also come loose by the time it was over....the ride's operators sent them down the slide even though their combined weight was 393 pounds — shy of the 400 weight minimum the park advertises as a requirement. Craig described the ride as "very, very rough," so much so that "when I got off, my head hurt.

To sum it up - this woman went down this ride, noticed a loose restraint and then IMO made two terrible errors in judgment: not reporting it and deciding to ride again. On the second trip, another person's strap came loose. She also knowingly went on the ride when her party weighed in at 393lbs and the weight minimum is 400lbs.

Source article:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/so...terslide-at-kansas-park/ar-BBvsrZ7?li=BBnbcA1