Designers of Water Slide That Decapitated Christian Boy Were Unqualified for Job
Schlitterbahn Waterpark and one of the company's former executives in Kansas City, Kansas, have been slapped with a raft of criminal charges alleging stunning negligence from both parties in the 2016 death of a 10-year-old boy, who was decapitated while riding what was once hailed as the world's tallest water slide.
A 47-page indictment cited by Fox4KC shows Tyler Miles, the former director of operations for Schlitterbahn in Kansas City with a total of 20 felony charges in connection with Caleb Schwab's death. The water park has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter and several other charges in connection to some 13 other people who were injured while riding the water slide called the Verrückt.
Information released by police in Kansas City showed that Caleb, who was described as a faithful Christian and athlete, suffered a "fatal neck injury" while riding the Verrückt in August 2016. He was found dead in a pool at the bottom of the slide and police confirmed with People magazine that the boy was decapitated. Two women who were riding in a raft with Caleb at the time of the accident were also injured.
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According to the indictment, the summer of 2016 was not the first time individuals had been injured on the Verrückt since it opened in 2014. Whistleblowers from within Schlitterbahn told investigators that water park officials covered up accidents on the slide prior to 2016 and experts found physical evidence of rafts on the slide going airborne and colliding with overhead hoops and netting.
It was further noted in the indictment that two other executives who helped design the Verrückt — Jeff Henry, a designer of the water slide and co-owner of the water park, and John Schooley, the lead designer of the slide — were unqualified for the design job.
Henry, according to the indictment, has no technical or engineering credentials but he controlled many key decisions regarding design and projects at Schlitterbahn. Schooley also does not have any engineering credentials relevant to amusement ride design or safety. Not one qualified engineer, the indictment said, was directly involved in the Verrückt's dynamic engineering or slide path design.
Reacting to the indictment, Schlitterbahn said it planned to contest the charges.
"We've reviewed the indictment against Schlitterbahn Kansas City and Tyler Miles and we plan on contesting the allegations. Since the date of the incident we have worked closely with law enforcement; at no time have we withheld evidence; at no time have we altered evidence. The indictment uses quoted statements from a reality TV show that was scripted for dramatic effect that in no way reflects the design and construction of the ride," Schlitterbahn said.
"The safety of our Schlitterbahn guests and employees has been at the forefront of our culture throughout our 40 years of operations. Many of us rode Verruckt regularly, as did our children and grandchildren. We have faith in the justice system and are confident that when we finally have an opportunity to defend ourselves, it will be clear that this was an accident. We stand by our team and will fight these charges," the company added.
In January 2017, Caleb's father, Christian Republican Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, his mother and surviving siblings reached a civil settlement with the park's owner and manufacturer of the raft he was riding in the day he died.
