Son of state lawmaker, 10, dies on the world’s tallest water slide where thrillseekers reach 65mph on 168ft ride
Caleb Schwab died while riding the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City
THE 10-year-old son of a Kansas lawmaker has died while riding a 168ft-high waterslide billed as the world's tallest.
Republican Scott Schwab's son Caleb died on the Verruckt attraction at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City.
The 168ft-high Verruckt, which means "insane" in German, was certified as the world's tallest water slide by Guinness World Records.
Riders go down the slide in multi-person rafts and have to be at last 54 inches tall, according to the park's website.
There were also suggestions that the harness on the ride was not working properly.
Caleb had been matched on the raft with two adult sisters. One suffered a broken jaw and the other a broken bone in her face.
They said they did not know what had happened. One said she had her eyes closed for the whole ride.
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Schwab and his wife released a statement confirming it was their son Caleb Thomas Schwab, whose family were at the park with him when he died.
Asking for privacy to grieve, they said: "Since the day he was born, he brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with."
Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio told reporters at a press conference: ""We honestly don't know what's happened.
"That's why... a full investigation is necessary. We have to understand what's happened.
"This is not something that we've experienced. The safety of our guests is a priority, so in addition to the safety and what happened on the ride, our staff are affected.
"Our lifeguards are critical and it will be difficult for them to focus after something like this so for that reason we felt it was wise to close the park."
Kansas City police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said he did not have any details about how the accident occurred.
The park will be closed today and the ride will be closed pending the investigation, Prosapio said.
Scott Schwab is a Republican from Olathe. He and his wife, Michele, have four sons, Sprague said.
House Speaker Ray Merrick told the Kansas City Star Schwab's family was "the center of his world."
The 2014 opening of Verruckt was delayed a few times, though the operators did not explain why.
Two media sneak preview days in 2014 were cancelled because of problems with a conveyor system that hauls 100-pound rafts to the top of the slide.
In a news article linked to the news release announcing a 2014 delay, Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry told USA Today that he and senior designer John Schooley had based their calculations when designing the slide on roller coasters, but that didn't translate well to a water slide like Verruckt.
In early tests, rafts carrying sandbags flew off the slide, prompting engineers to tear down half of the ride and reconfigure some angles at a cost of $1 million, Henry said.
A promotional video for a show about building the slide includes footage of two men riding a raft down a half-size test model and going slightly airborne as it crests the top of the first big hill.
Prosapio said during the news conference that the park's rides are inspected daily and inspected by an "outside party" before the start of each season.
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