# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/81 "2016-08-10T23:28:38Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Apparently this ride had serious problems with the raft going airborne in testing, which delayed its opening and required a redesign. So it looks like this ride has at least two serious points of failure (raft can go airborne–probably if the weight is too low, and the safety straps can come undone, likely exposing the riders to a potential ejection), and I seriously doubt this thing would be considered safe by the sort of engineers who do safety inspections of roller coasters (in fact one was interviewed in the Kansas City Star and seemed skeptical of several of the concepts used in this ride.) It would be interesting to talk to someone who really knew the engineering for this ride. In a very basic, classical Physics sense, the weight in the raft shouldn’t change the speed or the G forces involved; it’s that whole Galileo thing. So why does the weight matter? Does a lighter raft experience less friction, and so maintains more of its speed when cresting the second hill? It also looks like there’s water being sprayed forward to help the raft up that hill. Maybe that spray pushes a lighter raft to go faster than a heavy one. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/82 "2016-08-11T01:45:36Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I don’t know how you got “they’d rather be dead” from anything **JackieLikesVariety** said. All she said was that there were two other people also injured, and they had injuries to their faces. Facial injuries are not a good thing, hence the sad smilie. You’re _really_ reaching to be offended by her post. I wasn’t offended. My mind worked in a twisted way and I wrote it out. Didn’t think it was too off the wall given the other content in the thread, and certainly wouldn’t do it in a more somber thread. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/83 "2016-08-11T01:55:14Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > You’re _really_ reaching to be offended by her post. As was Two Many Cats. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/84 "2016-08-11T03:32:03Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Several articles report that his body was found “face down at the bottom of the hill.” It’s difficult for a body to be “face down” when there’s no longer a face attached. It’s just a common phrase. If true decapitation occurred, would you prefer, “the body was recovered while lying on its stomach?” That’s stilted language and may inadvertently confirm a true decapitation. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/85 "2016-08-11T03:47:18Z")
Wow the internet really does bring out some of the worst aspects of humanity. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/86 "2016-08-14T20:59:42Z")
They are having a memorial service for him this weekend. Its sad because so many children have been affected. Their school is bringing in grief counselors. So very sad. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/87 "2016-08-14T21:21:42Z")
Did they find his head over by the snow cone concession? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/88 "2016-08-14T21:39:33Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Did they find his head over by the snow cone concession? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/89 "2016-08-14T22:44:55Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > It’s just a common phrase. If true decapitation occurred, would you prefer, “the body was recovered while lying on its stomach?” That’s stilted language and may inadvertently confirm a true decapitation. ‘‘Prone,’’ maybe? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/90 "2016-08-15T03:12:59Z")
I keep seeing photos of the boy, so I’m frankly not appreciating the dark humor here. Anyway, unless the angle is deceiving, photos of the scene that were circulating today make it appears as if there was quite a bit of blood involved. And a witness says that the body that descended after the raft was decapitated. Poor guy. ☹ > **[Gruesome details revealed in boy's water slide death at Kansas park](https://abc7ny.com/water-slide-boy-kansas-city/1461927/)** > > Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/91 "2016-08-15T03:54:42Z")
I feel most sorry for his family that photos of his grisly death are apparently being circulated everywhere. How awful to have the sum total of your loved one’s life publicly reduced to the grotesque way they met their demise. And of course, I feel for the people who witnessed his death. I have no doubt that will haunt them the rest of their lives. As for dark humor, I don’t mind. That’s just how some people cope. ---
**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 16, 2016, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/92 "2016-08-16T00:10:27Z")
> [@](#): > > As for dark humor, I don’t mind. That’s just how some people cope. that is a good point; I hadn’t thought of it that way. those poor women who were sitting behind him ☹ ---
**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:** [November 23, 2016, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/93 "2016-11-23T02:05:07Z")
> [@](#): > > On Tuesday evening, Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts released the following statement, saying once the investigation is concluded and permission is given by the court, “Verrückt will be decommissioned – closed permanently and the slide removed from the tower. In our opinion, it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy.” > **[Schlitterbahn KC to remove Verruckt from park](https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/schlitterbahn-kansas-city-announces-verruckt-water-slide-to-be-removed-after-child-death-in-august)** > > SchlitterbahnKansas City says "it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy." This is the right thing to do. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2017, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/94 "2017-05-05T06:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > The family of Caleb Schwab will receive nearly $20 million in settlement payments from the companies involved in the 10-year-old boy’s death on the Verrückt water slide at Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, Kan., last year, The Star has learned from court documents. > > It’s believed to be the largest settlement of its kind paid in a wrongful death case involving a minor in either Kansas or Missouri. > > “I would be shocked if there was a bigger one than that,” said Roger Nail, a Kansas City trial attorney. [http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article148513129.html](http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article148513129.html) ---
**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:** [March 23, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/95 "2018-03-23T22:12:49Z")
from [ABC news](http://abcnews.go.com/US/schlitterbahn-water-park-employee-charged-10-year-olds/story?id=53968559) > [@](#): > > A man has been charged with manslaughter in the 2016 death of a 10-year-old boy on a water slide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas. nothing at the link explains any specific negligence - the waterpark’s response includes > [@](#): > > "We are deeply disappointed to learn that any individual is being personally charged for the terrible accident on Verruckt. Our review of the facts and circumstances of the accident has never shown any evidence of criminal conduct on the part of anyone. the video includes tests of the slide before it opened with rafts holding sandbags going airborn and crashing. ---
**Author:** ![Mithras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mithras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithras)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/96 "2018-03-23T23:44:00Z")
More informative article with link to the indictment: > **[Schlitterbahn corporation, ex-manager indicted in Verruckt water slide death](https://www.kansascity.com/news/article206605804.html)** > > A grand jury in Wyandotte County on Friday returned an indictment against Schlitterbahn, charging the company and a former operations director with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and reckless endangerment of a child in the 2016 death of... Apparently the ride was designed by someone without relevant engineering credentials, many people were injured, they rushed construction and the ride was opened in an unfinished state, and the park’s lawyers harassed and intimidated a 17 year old whistleblower. Seems like there might be some negligence there. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/97 "2018-03-24T00:27:36Z")
…this twitter thread breaks it down: > Someones going to jail. Hopefully many people will go to jail. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/98 "2018-03-24T01:55:54Z")
That Twitter thread contains excerpts from the indictment. It’s insanity. This bit, for example: > > [@indictment against owners & designer of killer water slide](#): > > ASTM > directs that any structure located within the patron clearance envelope— > meaning the area within which a rider could theoretically touch at any time > during the ride—must be carefully scrutinized and any potential for physical > contact with an obstruction during the ride must be eliminated. HENRY and > SCHOOLEY did the opposite; they installed metal bars directly across the > known flight path. What on earth were they thinking? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/99 "2018-03-24T02:03:38Z")
From the article: > [@](#): > > The indictment said investigators found no records that any dynamic engineering calculations had ever been performed on Verruckt. Henry (co-owner) and Schooley (the ride designer), it’s alleged, skipped fundamental design steps and relied “almost entirely on crude trial-and-error methods.” > > Schooley admitted as much, according to the indictment. > > “If we actually knew how to do this, and it could be done that easily, it wouldn’t be that spectacular,” the indictment quotes Schooley as saying. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113/100 "2018-03-24T03:11:55Z")
This was yet another one of those disasters where everyone knew it was a bad idea and proceeded anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-boy-dies-on-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn-kc/762113.md?page=6)