In 2016, 10-year old Caleb Schwab was horrendously killed while riding on the world’s tallest waterslide at a Kansas theme park.
The Verrück waterslide – Verrück is German for insane – stands at 17-storeys tall, smh.com.au reports, and yet it was designed by Schlitterbahn water park owner Jeff Henry and his business partner John Schooley, neither of whom had any engineering credentials to speak of.
Henry was arrested on Monday on murder charges in relation to Caleb’s death after a newly released indictment revealed he and his colleagues knew of the ride’s potential to cause death, but rushed construction and covered up injuries – initially to impress producers of an ‘Xtreme Waterparks’ TV series.
According to the Washington Post, the Schlitterbahn company and its former director of operations, Tyler Austin Miles, have already been charged with involuntary manslaughter, several counts of aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child and interference with law enforcement over the investigation into the Verruckt waterslide.
The unsealed indictment reveals Henry and Schooley had originally put an age restriction for the waterslide in place – first to 16 years old and above, then 14 – but changed their minds the day before the ride opened, and covered the age limit signs with stickers.
10-year-old Caleb Schwab was killed after the raft he was riding in went airborne – a known and incredibly dangerous fault – and collided with a metal pole that held the net above. Two women in his raft suffered cuts and fractures.
Court documents reveal 13 other people had been injured on the waterslide in its two years of operation, most occurring when rafts became airborne.
You can read more about the investigation here.
