It was reported that the boy died on the world's tallest water slide in Kansas. That boat flew. Jeff, who has a streak of P.T. Barnum in him, suddenly blurted out that he and Schooley were going to build the worlds tallest and fastest waterslide at the Kansas City Schlitterbahn. Something clicked in my head, and I just realized the time had come to do it, he told me later. It looked like he must have somehow been ejected from his seat, bounced around between the netting and the slide and just slid down, she told PEOPLE. After high school, Jeff opened a video arcade bar in San Marcos that he called the Too Bitter Bar, the walls of which contained painted murals of moons, watermelons, lips, and bananas. Few details have been released about the death Sunday of Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of a Kansas state legislator. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Caleb Schwab, the son of a state lawmaker, sustained a fatal neck injury at around 2:30 p.m. while riding the 168-foot-tall Verruckt (meaning insane in German) water slide, the Associated Press reports. It is a seriously dangerous piece of equipment today because there are things that we dont know about it, he said at one point. Meanwhile, sifting through Verrckts maintenancereports, other investigators concluded that Miles had avoided or delayed making repairs that would have taken the ride out of commission. (One rider reported that her head had slammed into the headrest and she sustained a concussion when her raft entered the runout pool at a high speed.) (Most amazing ride Ive ever ridden. Like dropping out of the sky. Terrifying and horrible and terrific.) By the time young Caleb climbed Verrckts stairs, some 100,000 adrenaline junkies, a few of whom had flown in from across the world, had ridden Verrckt, and Jeff was planning to build a second version of the slide at the Schlitterbahn in Galveston. ), Man, are they hitting that net up there? You know the [raft] that went airborne on our ninety-footmodel in New Braunfels? The Schwab family may also file a personal injury claim on behalf of Caleb. She was also a member of local gang which was known as "The Drapes". We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Soon, reporters from an array of media outletsUSA Today, Wired, ESPNs Grantland, even Smithsonian magazinewere calling to ask Jeff about his latest adventure, and he was always ready with a good quote. The Lagoon at the original Schlitterbahn, in New Braunfels, in 1991. ), On June 16 of this year, after Id attempted to contact Jeff a half dozen times through his legal team and his family, he called me at 1:26 in the morning. One is a line from John 3:16. On their first attempt, the cannon nozzle misfired, and the raft never made it up the five-story hill: it slid back down to the bottom. If I really believed I was responsible for the death of that little boy, Id kill myself right now, he said. Reporters from the San Antonio Express-News also revealed that in September 2013, Jeffs second wife, Louise Settree, had claimed in divorce papers that he had assaulted, battered, beat and tormented her during their nearly five-year marriage and that his use of alcohol and drugs had contributed to the horrific assaults. His treatment of her, Settree claimed, was so extreme in degree . The plans would eventually call for hotels, rental cabins, hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail outlets, and a residential area surrounding the park. Christian Wallace writes about West Texas, oil and gas, music, cowboys, history, and history-making Texans. I was hoping to meet Jeff, but he was still staying to himself. 2014 was the opening year for the slide, which was the tallest in the world. He pedaled his bicycle across town to buy busted car-tire inner tubes at gas stations, which he patched up and rented to tourists who wanted to float the river. Since the ride was torn down, former employees have alleged that both ride inspections and staff training were inadequate. He said he wanted to return to Verrckt, which closed immediately after Calebs death but still loomed over the Kansas City landscape like some grisly monument, so he could find out what had gone wrong. The idea for Verrckt came from 63-year-old Jeff Henry, who co-owned the Schlitterbahn parks with his older brother, Gary, and younger sister, Jana, and acted as the companys chief visionary, a conjurer of splashy joyrides. The case is being investigated as a civil rather than criminal matter, yet details are vague and authorities have disclosed little information about what caused the tragic accident. But in the U.S., water park rides are not tightly regulated. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Caleb is 10-year-old boy from Olathe, Kansas. Plans to expand to other cities have been shelved. Gary and Jana agreed that Jeff should proceed with Verrckt. Police have revealed that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab - who was involved in a fatal accident at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City on Sunday - died of a "neck injury," PEOPLE confirms.. Jeff never made any secret of how he built his rides. Jeff often said that his goal in life was to make Schlitterbahn customers happyto put a smile on their faces, togive them a thrill or two, he told me during one of our conversations this summer. Caleb Schwab, the son of a Kansas state . (And he did get good news in July, when prosecutors agreed to let the company tear down Verrckt this fall.) Certified by the Guinness World Records as the worlds tallest, the slide is no stranger to controversy. But the first time, you dont know. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. And that never worried the people around him. A free day at Schlitterbahn. . For what is your life? Schlitterbahn, meanwhile, is reeling. I didnt hear anyone mention the indictments in Kansas City. What Happened To The Boy On The Water Slide? They then headed to Kansas City to build the 168-foot, 7-inch Verrckt. That would entitle the family to no more than $300,000 in additional non-economic damages, bringing recovery up to . Caleb Schwab, 10, died in front of his family while riding a 168ft-high water slide in Kansas at Schlitterbahn Water Park. The two adult women with Caleb were severely injured in the incident. It still wasnt working, he said. He swam, fished, canoed, rafted, and hunted for turtles. I was hired as an admissions cashiertaking payment and . Jamie Lee Curtis upsets Angela Bassett at SAG Awards, Two FL beaches make Tripadvisors best of the best, Buffalo Wild Wings manager stole $72,000 from work:, Win $1M a year for life with new FL Lottery game, Where to find fish fries in Tampa Bay during Lent, Worlds largest bounce house coming to Tampa. The 168-foot-tall Verruckt is one of the top attractions of Schlitterbahn. The two men were approached by producers from the Travel Channel who said they were looking for an episode to lead off the new season of their popular TV series, This was news to everyone, even at Schlitterbahn. Miles, then the operations director, hid or destroyed documents detailing injuries sustained by riders . Jeffs job was to fill the park with new attractions, and he didnt disappoint. Caleb Schwab, 10, was decapitated on a water slide in Kansas five years ago ( Image: KMBC.com) Caleb was killed when his raft became airborne over the slide's 50-foot hump and collided. On a 25-acre piece of property that the Henrys bought, three blocks east of the main park, he erected two rides that he had co-created with a former surfer turned inventor named Tom Lochtefeld. Caleb Thomas Schwab, . . Caleb Thomas Schwab, 10, died Sunday . The slide has been closed since Caleb's death on Aug. 7, 2016. That boat flew. Once again, Jeff and his siblings had no public comment, though Prosapio released another statement that said that Schlitterbahn was shocked by the indictments. On Sunday, ten-year-old Caleb Schwab died at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City while on a 168 foot high slide. Jana, the youngest, would attend what was then known as Southwest Texas State University, in nearby San Marcos, and major in fashion merchandising. Police have revealed that 10-year-old Caleb Schwab - who was involved in a fatal accident at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City on Sunday - died of a "neck injury," PEOPLE confirms.. To: sandra@sandrarose.com. Bob, Billye, and the kidsGary, Jeff, and Janapiled into the familys Ford station wagon and drove to the Landa to give it a look. The Kansas City Schlitterbahn is one of five Schlitterbahn parks in the country. The quiet, efficient Gary oversaw the parks buildings and finances; Jana handled the marketing; and Jeff was in charge of the attractions. Some Bahnophiles spend every summer weekend, or even entire vacations, at a Schlitterbahn. For instance, eleven Schlitterbahn customers said they had been injured on Verrckt between August 31, 2014, and August 5, 2016 (two days before Calebs death). That responsibility lies entirely with the states. The Travel Channel crew asked Jeff why the slide was not working. I think they need to fix the jostling around like your neck gets pretty (shaken)around like really good and you hit your head a lot, a witness said. The slide is 168-feet tall and has 264. We reported earlier about how their second oldest son, 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, died after an accident on the world's tallest waterslide: the 168-foot Verrckt. Caleb Schwab Death: Source Reveals Horrific Details of Boy's Water Slide Accident By Associated Press Nationwide PUBLISHED 4:32 PM ET Aug. 10, 2016 KANSAS CITY, Kan. A 10-year-old boy was decapitated as he rode a 168-foot tall waterslide at a water park in Kansas, a person familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. I looked over and saw his broken neck and him sliding down the slide leaving a blood trail, a witness aid. http://wx.wfla.com/oembed/email/noon_signup.html. It was as horrible a moment as you could imagine, a person who was there told me. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. Behind him were two young womenone 32 years old and the other 25sisters who lived near the Kansas-Nebraska state line. The speed slide its name means "insane" in German and it is certified as. (A single rider, lying on his back, shot straight down the slide, slowed during the long water brake, and finally came to a stop in a runout pool.) Jeff Henry often said that his goal in life was to make customers of his familys legendary water parks happyto put a smile on their faces, to give them a thrill or two. It was a beautiful vision. When the case goes to trial, which isnt likely to happen for at least another year, Jeffs and Schooleys attorneys might use that very argument: that the employees who operated Verrckt made mistakes, such as ignoring maintenance problems, and that Henry and Schooley knew nothing about it. But at least one of the men was clearly nervous. Date: Today, 02:00:07 AM EDT. It broke the Guinness World Record for tallest water slide. They next built a ninety-foot-tall model of Verrckt (about half its eventual size), putting the initial drop at a 60-degree vertical angle, which they believed was steep enough for the riders to feel as if they were falling but was still gradual enough for the rafts to maintain solid contact with the chute. Caleb Schwab was one of three passengers in the raft on the Verruckt ride at the Kansas city water park when he died. Jeff, Schooley, and the brother of Jeffs assistant piled into a raft. In 2016, what was supposed to be a fun day out for a family became an utter tragedy when 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was . KANSAS CITY, Kan. As more information comes out about what happened to cause 10-year-old Caleb Schwab's tragic death, the concern over amusement park safety grows. It was a gloriously sunny afternoon, the kind tailor-made for Jeffs innocent old vision of summer fun. Galveston's Schlitterbahn does not have the slide Schwab was killed on,. Those were added later. Even those weren't enough to save 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated. Schlitterbahn opened in 1979, drawing approximately five thousand visitors in its first season (the park is open full-time only from Memorial Day until Labor Day). For the most devoted fans, Schlitterbahn is an aquatic version of Disney World, with something for everyone, from huge playgrounds for children to swim-up bars for adults that serve beer and margaritas. This past spring, Kansas City prosecutors began meeting with a grand jury, and in late March, the jury issued indictments. This was news to everyone, even at Schlitterbahn. Billye ran the cafe, and Gary, Jeff, and Jana did odd jobs: sweeping out the cabins, mowing the grass, laying brick, shingling, and grouting. Verrckt ( German meaning "crazy" or "insane", listen) was a water slide located at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. Finally, in June 2014, after several successful sandbag runs, they decided it was time for humans to ride it. He later added another water coaster, the Master Blaster, that was six stories tall and filled with thrilling hairpin turns. She was known to be indulged in many petty crimes such as auto theft. In a field near Schlitterbahns corporate headquarters, in New Braunfels, they constructed a small model of Verrckt, one twelfth the size of the real thing, and they sent a model car down the slide, along with cantaloupes and watermelons, to test it. To make matters worse, the grand jury charged, operations director Miles haddeliberately concealed evidence about Verrckts dangers, going so far as to give a police detective false information. Today, August 7, is the fifth anniversary of his horrific death in August 2016. (In 1994 he pleaded guilty to third-degree felony drug possession after he was caught with seventeen ounces of marijuana.) The child was riding on the Verruckt water slide when he died. Sometimes I cant get out of bed for four days., He had decided to talk to me, he said, so that people would understand he had done nothing wrong. Caleb Thomas Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was killed Sunday while riding "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. His hope, he said, was to reconstruct the fatal ride exactly as it took place, assisted by a team of independent experts. Witness Kelsey Friedrichsen said she was about to ride the waterslide when she saw emergency responders below covering the boy and attending to the two injured. Kansas State Representative Scott Schwab 's son, Caleb who died at age 10 on Sunday, August 7, in a waterslide accident at Kansas City's Schlitterbahn Water Park was decapitated, police. "The death of [Caleb Schwab] appeared at first to be an isolated and unforeseeable incident until whistleblowers from within Schlitterbahn's own ranks came forward and revealed that Schlitterbahn officials had . The Verruckt is the largest of its kind in the world. It was quiet. He stopped going to any of the Schlitterbahn parks he created, and the company laid off most of his design and construction staff. According to Texas Department of Insurance spokesman Jerry Hagins, the inspector is charged only with making sure that the ride is in sound condition and meets the manufacturers specifications. In other words, a water park is allowed to police itself. Within a few seconds, the raft reached the bottom of the hill and swooped up the second, 55-foot hill. Was the wind a factor? He drove an old truck. Courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts. Im not quite sure yet, he replied. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. To attract more customers, Bob erected two slides that dumped guests into the Comal. As the boys small corpse slid toward the runout pool, everyone began to scream. In subsequent seasons, he built the Cliffhanger Tube Chute, the Tunnel Tube Chute, and the 45-minute-long Raging River Tube Chute. When they reached the runout pool, the three men in the raft shouted and pumped their fists in the air. He encircled the park with a man-made river that behaved a lot like a real river, with light rapids, quick drops, and backwater eddies, and he filled the childrens playground with animal sculptures, telescopes, water cannons, giant sand buckets, and small slides that sent kids into shallow pools. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. A source familiar with the investigation into the boy's death told the Associated Press that Caleb was decapitated. The State of Kansas also agreed to throw in an estimated $200 million in sales tax revenue bonds. 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