Featured Image Credit: Family Handout
Topics: US News
Ella Scott
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions which some readers may find distressing.
The harrowing words uttered by a grieved sibling whose 10-year-old brother was decapitated on the ‘world’s tallest waterslide’ have been revealed.
Nine years ago in 2016, Caleb Schwab’s family, including his father Scott, mother Michele and 12-year-old brother, travelled to Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City.
The park was once home to the world’s tallest water slide, the Verrückt.
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Verrückt, which translates to ‘crazy’ or ‘insane’ in English was designed at the park by John Schooley and stood at a colossal height of 168 feet 7 inches (51.38 m).
Not only was the slide taller than the Niagara Falls, but once at the top, riders would plummet 17 storeys downwards in a huge drop before shooting over a 55-foot-tall crest.
The slide also tried to prevent riders from falling off by covering the chute with netting, which was supported by metal poles.
The slide was opened in July 2014 but was closed following the decapitation of Caleb, whose dad was a Republican state legislator who would later go on to be named the Secretary of State of Kansas.
Caleb, who, like all Verrückt riders, was required to climb 264 steps to the top of the nearly 170-foot slide, was with two other riders when tragedy struck in 2016.
When the child barrelled down the slide, the sheer force threw him towards the netting.
The child tragically made contact with the metal poles, with an eyewitness calling the scene on August 17 a ‘nightmare beyond comprehension’.
“It was as horrible a moment as you could imagine,” they told Texas Monthly two years after the accident. “I can’t begin to describe it.”
Caleb’s 12-year-old brother Nathan was waiting dutifully at the bottom of the slide and was forced to inform his parents what had happened to his sibling.
“He was screaming: 'He flew from the Verruckt, he flew from the Verruckt'," Michele told ABC News in 2017.
Recalling the moment she realized her son was dead, Michele said: “There was a gentleman who wouldn't allow me to come close enough to see what was going on, and he just kept saying, 'Trust me, you don't want to go any further.’
"I kind of knew in my mind that I shouldn't see it, that I probably don't want to see it.”
In the months following the tragedy, Scott, Michele and their three surviving sons would watch videos of Caleb to soothe their grief.
"There's times when it's like, I can't look at that right now, and there's other times when you can't sleep and you want to look at it," Scott heartbreakingly said.
Following Caleb’s decapitation, the Schwab family reached a settlement of an undisclosed amount with the previous park owners, as per ABC News.
"All claims against the local amusement park as well as the raft manufacturer have been resolved," the attorneys said in a statement.
"The family continues to pursue claims against a Texas-based company, Henry & Sons, which constructed Verruckt, as well as claims against a consultant who evaluated the slide before being opened to the public.”
Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts said in a statement at the time that the company was ‘heartbroken’ over the tragedy that occurred.
"In our 50 years of providing an environment for families and friends to gather, we've never experienced this kind of devastating event.
“The safety of our staff and our guests is our top priority. We are parents and grandparents ourselves, and many of us had ridden Verruckt with our own children and grandchildren over the years it operated.
"At Schlitterbahn we take safety very seriously. We support effective guidelines that increase guest and staff safety.”
Schlitterbahn Waterpark closed its doors for good in September 2018. The custom water coaster water slide was dismantled two months later.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.