After his 10-year-old brother was “decapitated” on a waterslide that was touted as the tallest in the world, a 12-year-old boy’s eerie remarks have been made public.
At the age of ten, Caleb Schwab went to Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City with his family, which included his mother Michele, father Scott, and older brother Nathan.
The Verrückt, which was the tallest water slide in the world, was one of the park’s main attractions. John Schooley created the term “Verrückt,” which is German for “crazy,” and it rose to a dizzying height of 168 feet and 7 inches (51.38 meters).
Before being sent over a 55-foot-high crest, those who braved the slide would plunge 17 stories down in a massive drop. The chute was covered with netting that was held up in some spots by metal poles to keep riders from sliding off the slide.
However, when 10-year-old Caleb rode the attraction in 2016, an unthinkable tragedy occurred.According to reports, the force of the slide threw the small boy into the netting, where he made touch with one of the metal poles mentioned before in a bizarre incident. The impact decapitated Caleb.
Two years after the disaster, one eyewitness told Texas Monthly, “It was as horrible a moment as you could imagine.” “I am at a loss for words.”
Nathan, Caleb’s 12-year-old brother, stood at the bottom of the slide, waiting for him. He was the one who informed his parents of the situation.
Mom Michele told ABC News in 2017 that her son was yelling, “He flew from the Verruckt, he flew from the Verruckt.”
“A gentleman kept saying, ‘Trust me, you don’t want to go any further,’ and wouldn’t let me get close enough to see what was happening.”
“I kind of knew in my head that I probably don’t want to see it, and I shouldn’t.”
Following the terrifying event, the Schwab family and the park’s former owners came to an undisclosed settlement.
“All claims against the local amusement park and the raft manufacturer have been resolved,” the family’s lawyers stated in a statement.
“The family is still pursuing claims against Henry & Sons, a Texas-based company that built Verruckt, and a consultant who assessed the slide prior to its public release.”
At the time, Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts issued a statement in which they said they were “heartbroken” by the events that had transpired.
“This kind of tragic incident has never happened in our 50 years of offering a space for family and friends to be together.
“Our first concern is the security of our employees and visitors. We are parents and grandparents ourselves, and during the years that Verruckt was in operation, many of us rode it with our own kids and grandkids.
“We take safety very seriously at Schlitterbahn. We favor sensible policies that improve the safety of both visitors and employees.
In September 2018, Schlitterbahn Waterpark closed.
A tragedy of unimaginable dimensions, you will agree, we’re sure. Caleb, may you rest in peace.
