# 10 year old boy dies on Verruckt waterslide @Schlitterbahn KC **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 8, 2016, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113 "2016-08-08T04:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/41 "2016-08-09T17:27:30Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Heard that the kid was decapitated by the ride…:eek: Well, decapitations are the definition of “click bait.” I’ve been hearing an Urban Legend since my childhood of the Death Roller Coaster. In, like, 1890, someone built the coolest roller coaster ever in America, and the Mayor and Town Council took the first ride. When the cars pulled in after the inaugural ride, they were all strangely silent. Because they ALL HAD BROKEN NECKS. Snopes doesn’t seem to have this on site, and it didn’t appear in any of Brunevand’s books. Who can provide a linkie? Or did I just have a particularly sadistic uncle? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/42 "2016-08-09T18:08:46Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Well, decapitations are the definition of “click bait.” > > I’ve been hearing an Urban Legend since my childhood of the Death Roller Coaster. > > In, like, 1890, someone built the coolest roller coaster ever in America, and the Mayor and Town Council took the first ride. When the cars pulled in after the inaugural ride, they were all strangely silent. Because they ALL HAD BROKEN NECKS. Sounds painful. They should have just ridden [the euthanasia coaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia_Coaster) instead. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/43 "2016-08-09T18:31:11Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Heard that the kid was decapitated by the ride…:eek: > > Autopsy was supposed to be done today, I believe. I dunno, I found some humor in this. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/44 "2016-08-09T18:54:28Z")
At least they didn’t try [a loop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Park#Cannonball_Loop). > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Heard that the kid was decapitated by the ride…:eek: Confirmed by police, according to [Time](http://time.com/4444447/caleb-schwab-verruckt-water-slide-death/). ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/45 "2016-08-09T18:56:49Z")
I can’t see how anyone thought that ride was a good idea to begin with. And the net was just a dangerous band-aid, I wouldn’t want my head to get thrust into a net at 65mph with the weight of a boat under me. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/46 "2016-08-09T19:06:46Z")
Calling decapitation a “severe neck injury” is like calling an amputation “just a flesh wound”. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/47 "2016-08-09T19:16:10Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I can’t see how anyone thought that ride was a good idea to begin with. And the net was just a dangerous band-aid, I wouldn’t want my head to get thrust into a net at 65mph with the weight of a boat under me. I don’t think the netting would hurt near as much as the arched poles supporting it. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/48 "2016-08-09T19:20:50Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I dunno, I found some humor in this. Now that the first shot has been fired, I also found humor in: > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > died of a serious neck injury. Indeed. What kind of testing do rides have to go through? I presume the insurance company has stringent requirements. Is there some government agency that looks at this? Presumably, they don’t just build the ride in Besiege and see how it turns out. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/49 "2016-08-09T20:19:17Z")
I think amusement rides are mostly regulated by the state. [http://www.saferparks.org/regulation/agencies](http://www.saferparks.org/regulation/agencies) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/50 "2016-08-09T21:00:28Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > the other two riders with him were women and had injuries to their faces. ☹ A fate worse than death for a woman. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/51 "2016-08-09T21:07:07Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/52 "2016-08-09T22:33:05Z")
I’m from the area and the accident is all over the local news and Facebook. The family was very involved in the community (school, church) and he played on an advanced baseball team. So the death touches many lives and families. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/53 "2016-08-09T22:59:27Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > At least they didn’t try [a loop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Park#Cannonball_Loop). Confirmed by police, according to [Time](http://time.com/4444447/caleb-schwab-verruckt-water-slide-death/). > [@Mixolydian](#): > > Calling decapitation a “severe neck injury” is like calling an amputation “just a flesh wound”. Huh. Well, that explains people on the scene telling other people “There’s nothing we can do.” People might have downplayed what happened out of general reluctance to describe such a thing. What a horrific thing to witness. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/54 "2016-08-09T23:04:25Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > A fate worse than death for a woman. :rolleyes: what I meant was the only thing for them to hurt their face on is the mesh so the raft had to be in the air yes, a horrible thing to have seen ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/55 "2016-08-09T23:09:50Z")
It had to be modified because prior testing with sandbags and mannequins revealed that it wasn’t safe. It still wasn’t; I’m surprised it took this long for that to happen. There may be another thread about this on the Dope, although I’m headed to a meetup and don’t have time to look for it. A while back, I saw a NatGeo (or some similar channel) show about giant roller coasters, and the developers said they consult with, among others, NASA flight surgeons, and have had to scrap some designs because the human body couldn’t take the G-forces. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/56 "2016-08-09T23:29:12Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I’ve been hearing an Urban Legend since my childhood of the Death Roller Coaster. > > In, like, 1890, someone built the coolest roller coaster ever in America, and the Mayor and Town Council took the first ride. When the cars pulled in after the inaugural ride, they were all strangely silent. Because they ALL HAD BROKEN NECKS. > > Snopes doesn’t seem to have this on site, and it didn’t appear in any of Brunevand’s books. Who can provide a linkie? Or did I just have a particularly sadistic uncle? The first looping roller coaster in North America was the [Flip Flap Railway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_Flap_Railway) in Coney Island, opened in 1895. It was ultimately shut down because the extreme G-forces (up to 12G) had a tendency to cause severe whiplash and other neck injuries. (It’s also why loops in modern coasters are teardrop-shaped instead of perfect circles.) I’ve heard stories that some riders’ necks were indeed broken, but couldn’t find any authoritative cites confirming that, so your uncle’s story is probably urban legend. I still can’t get past the fact that this ride had a _minimum_ weight limit (so you don’t FLY OFF THE TRACK AND DIE) and yet there were apparently no safety features to prevent disaster if that rule was broken. The dirty little secret about most amusement parks is that all the so-called “safety” workers are high school teenagers paid minimum wage, people who couldn’t care less about doing their jobs properly. That’s why most roller coasters and other thrill rides are close to 100% automated – those switches and levers you see the teenage workers operate don’t actually do anything, they’re just there to make the riders _think_ that somebody’s in charge of their safety. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/57 "2016-08-09T23:41:07Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > Calling decapitation a “severe neck injury” is like calling an amputation “just a flesh wound”. Alright, Mr. SmartyPants, how many types of neck injuries can you think of that are _more_ severe than detatchment? 😛 > [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > what I meant was the only thing for them to hurt their face on is the mesh so the raft had to be in the air Not necessarily. As I stated earlier, IF he was in the front seat & IF he came out of his harness, he would have gone up & been restrained from flying off by the safety netting. They could have been hit in the face by a part of his body as the ‘raft’ continued under him while still in in track. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/58 "2016-08-09T23:52:05Z")
From the reading I’ve done, it was an internal decapitation meaning the poor kid’s head was severed from his spine but there wasn’t a skin break so it appeared still attached. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/59 "2016-08-10T00:00:40Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > A fate worse than death for a woman. :rolleyes: … the fuck? ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/60 "2016-08-10T00:57:15Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > … the fuck? Out of all the relentlessly morbid jokes in this thread, that’s the one you’re outraged by? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113.md?page=4)