Police: Neck injury killed boy on Kansas water slide
Authorities in Kansas were trying to determine Tuesday how a 10-year-old boy suffered a fatal neck injury while riding what is billed as the world's tallest water slide.
Kansas City Police Chief Terry Zeigler said emergency responders called to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark on Sunday found Caleb Schwab's body in a pool at the end of the "Verrückt" slide. Two women who were in his raft suffered minor facial injuries and were treated at a local hospital, Zeigler said.
The women were not related to Caleb, the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab and Michele Schwab of Olathe. The couple brought their four sons to the park that day, when families of elected officials were allowed in free of charge.
"The family will be in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time," Zeigler said Monday, adding the investigation is continuing.
Park patron Leslie Castaneda told the Kansas City Star she saw Caleb's crumpled shorts or bathing suit at the bottom of the ride and blood in the water.
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“I’m really having a tough time with it. I really am,” Casteneda said. “I saw his brother. He was screaming.”
The Verrückt — German for "insane" — opened in 2014 and was certified as the world's tallest by Guinness World Records. The ride stands 168-feet high at its tallest point and propels rafts with 2-3 riders at speeds of up to 65 mph. Riders must be at least 4-feet-6 inches tall, and those in each raft must total between 400 and 550 pounds, according to the park website.
The park will reopen at noon Wednesday, but the Verrückt will remain closed through the end of the season, park officials said in a statement. Grief counselors were being provided for park employees and guests affected by the tragedy, the statement added.
"The family and each and every one of those affected are foremost on our minds and in our hearts today," the statement said. "We ask the community to please keep all of those impacted in your thoughts and prayers."
Kansas water park closed after boy dies on 'insane' slide
Park spokeswoman Winter Prosapio said the park's rides are inspected every day and that an outside party inspects them at the start of the season. The state Labor Department, which oversee such attractions in Kansas, did not return calls for comment.
Such stationary rides are not generally subject to federal oversight. Cameron Jacobs, spokesman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, says there are well-defined international standards for the safe design, construction, maintenance operation and inspection of water slides.
"More than 85 million people safely enjoy water parks in the United States each year, and incidents like this are extremely rare," Jacobs told USA TODAY.
Contributing: Ryan W. Miller
