Verrückt waterslide designers, John Schooley, left, and Texas-based Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts co-owner Jeffrey Henry, speak in 2014 about the challenges of opening the 17-story tall attraction before its operation in Kansas City, Kan.
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Waterslide designer detained over decapitation of 10-year-old boy
April 3, 2018
“Scott and Michelle Schwab’s son Caleb, 10, died on Aug. 7, 2016, after something went wrong when the child rode on the park’s 168-foot-tall Verruckt (German for “insane”) water slide. The Verruckt is the largest of its kind in the world.”
http://abcnews.go.com/US/family-boy-killed-waterslide-speaks-hurting/story?id=45445546
“The boy was decapitated after the raft on which he was riding went airborne. He was the son of Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab, of Olathe, and the family reached settlements of nearly $20 million with Schlitterbahn and various companies associated with the design and construction of the waterslide.
The two women who rode with Caleb suffered serious injuries and settled claims with Schlitterbahn for an undisclosed amount.
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Caleb Schwab and the closed waterslide Verruckt
The indictment against Miles and the park alleges that Verruckt met few, if any, industry standards and that Miles delayed or avoided necessary repairs, even after the ride’s brake system failed.
The indictment also said Henry helped design the giant waterslide even though he had “no technical or engineering credentials” and that he set a “rushed timeline” for its construction.
Schlitterbahn said last week’s indictment is “full of false information,” and the company also rejected its allegations that Miles and the company withheld information from law enforcement officials. It said the allegation that Caleb’s death was foreseeable is “beyond the pale of speculation.”
Miles’ attorneys said in their own statement that they welcome the opportunity to prove his innocence in court.
“Not only had Tyler ridden the slide numerous times, but, as the State is aware, he had scheduled his wife, to ride it on the day of the accident,” the attorneys, Tom and Tricia Bath, said in their statement.
“These are not the actions of someone who believed the ride to be dangerous.” ...”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-henry-arrest-water-park-coowner-caleb-schwab-death/
Terrible situation. The only thing to be gained by prosecution may be to find out exactly what the design and construction flaws were, that made the accident more likely.
Those most at fault should be fined and disallowed to authorize this kind of construction in the future. I don’t see what is to be gained by putting this 72 y/o designer in jail. I doubt if this was malicious in any way.
I expected the charge to be involuntary manslaughter.
As other posters have said, criminal negligence may be more on point.
Anyone that “rides” one of those slides is a fool.
That design invites airborne rafts at the hump. Idiots with no credentials should not be designing these things.
I’m OK with the verdict due to their hiding of injuries over just 6 months of operation and not doing anything about it.
Used to live near there when they were building it, my wife said it would kill someone. I would have tried it myself, wife keeps me alive.
I’m surprised things are this loose. Here in PA, rides are certified and inspected by the state. I’d also be surprised if a P.E. didn’t have to sign off on the design.
Face it. You just don’t get your MIT engineering graduates to design these amusement park rides.