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Water Slide Co-Designer Charged with Murder over Child Decapitated on Ride.
Breitbart ^ | April 3,2018 | by NATE CHURCH

Posted on 04/03/2018 5:46:51 PM PDT by Hojczyk

72-year-old John Schooley has been charged with second-degree murder in the tragic death of a child on the water slide he co-designed. Schooley was arrested at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Monday, just after returning from China. In addition to murder, Schooley also faces charges of aggravated battery and aggravated endangerment of a child.

A Kansas grand jury has indicted all three men involved in the incident that resulted in the decapitation of Caleb Schwab, son of Kansas State Representative Scott Schwab. The boy’s raft lost control on the 17-foot slide, and he was killed as he hit an overhead loop at high speed.

Charged along with Schooley are co-owner Jeffrey Henry and the private construction company of the park, Henry & Sons Construction Co. Both have been charged with reckless second-degree murder as well as 17 other felonies related to other incidents on the “Varruckt” slide.

But it was Schooley himself who signed off on the ride, claiming it met all of the required American Society for Testing and Materials standards for use. Even then, he allegedly said that “if we actually knew how to do this, and it could be done that easily, it wouldn’t be that spectacular.”

“Not a single engineer was directly involved in Verruckt’s dynamic engineering or slide path design,” according to the indictments. Those same indictments also claim that Henry rushed production of the slide in order to impress executives involved with a Travel Channel television program.

Thus far, the Schwab family has reached a $20 million settlement with the Schlitterbahn water park and companies associated with the slide’s production.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: Kansas
KEYWORDS: amusementparks; localnews; waterslide
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To: HiTech RedNeck

“Also a little Googling would have shown the experience to that day.

It’s just too bad for nanny you that it took 13 years before anybody died on it.”

A little googling would have shown that it only took two years.


61 posted on 04/03/2018 6:39:48 PM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: Michael.SF.

How good does it need to be? Better than cars I guess.


62 posted on 04/03/2018 6:40:01 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Back up your post with documentation of those injuries prior to the decapitation.


63 posted on 04/03/2018 6:41:23 PM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: puppypusher
This should be tried in civil court.Not a criminal court.

Seems that the Prosecutor is placating a politician instead of doing his duty impartially.

Criminal negligence that results in someone's injury or death does sort of step over to the criminal law side - but I assume that Texas has automatic "lesser included charges" that the jurors can select. It's really tough to prove intent in cases like this, particularly with regard to design rather than the operators "bending the rules" and allowing under-sized riders and so on.

64 posted on 04/03/2018 6:41:34 PM PDT by Charles Martel (Progressives are the crab grass in the lawn of life.)
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To: TexasGator

So point made even better for me! People who could see a fatality in 2 years used it for 13.

I’d liken it to white water rafting.


65 posted on 04/03/2018 6:42:33 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: TexasGator

Keep walking into my trap for foes of freedom!


66 posted on 04/03/2018 6:44:03 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Stupid. It didn’t open till 2014.

Your posts are so stupid I will have to ignore from now.


67 posted on 04/03/2018 6:44:47 PM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: Charles Martel

Indeed the holier than thou critics are failing to look at the bigger picture.

Look! Dead squirrel!


68 posted on 04/03/2018 6:45:55 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: piasa

The malice was proven.
It is pretty much a given that death WILL (not might) happen when you build something like this without having actual engineers design the thing.

My first take was the same as yours.
Until I actually read the article.
If the allegations are substantiated this wasn’t overcharged.


69 posted on 04/03/2018 6:46:37 PM PDT by MrEdd (Caveat Emptor)
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To: puppypusher

“At most they could be charged with Manslaughter because it was an accidental death”

I heard earlier today he was charged with Manslaughter. I agree with you on civil court.

Has this been studied to examine a flaw in the construction? Did the park cover up some flaws? Was it just a fluke? (Hard-pressed to think that)

I think a big perk of being a parent is being able to a water park as an adult!! Planned my kids vaca around water parks.

They gotta be safe but murder?? Park owner with cash passing the buck to a political critter to help him out? I vote yes.


70 posted on 04/03/2018 6:48:39 PM PDT by lizma2
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To: chris37

2nd degree murder does not require intent or premeditation.

He said the ride could kill people. He knew that was a distinct possibility. That’s what is required for 2nd degree murder.


71 posted on 04/03/2018 6:49:51 PM PDT by sipow
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To: TexasGator

Yes you are stupid. If it was undergoing untoward incidents at any visible rate, then people had every reason to know. Now they could ask what that compares to and what is worth it.


72 posted on 04/03/2018 6:49:53 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

See my 67


73 posted on 04/03/2018 6:51:06 PM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: Hojczyk

Wait a minute...

With Hillary, it was - well, we cant prove INTENT...

Why is THIS guy being charged with murder???


74 posted on 04/03/2018 6:51:13 PM PDT by joethedrummer
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To: TexasGator

You broke your promise


75 posted on 04/03/2018 6:51:42 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: lizma2

Just look at the design and the videos. MURDER!


76 posted on 04/03/2018 6:52:49 PM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: chris37

“Do they even charge drunk drivers with this crime?”

Did PIAPS send a new standards? “No intent.”

Some animals are equal...


77 posted on 04/03/2018 6:53:55 PM PDT by lizma2
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To: TexasGator

Just look at your screaming. Who else could see this apparatus?


78 posted on 04/03/2018 6:54:14 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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To: Hojczyk

Sounds like gross negligence, not murder 2.

And I don’t believe either of the 3 will be convicted of criminal charges.

But I DO believe this state senator holds a lot of influence over the DA that convened the grand jury and selectively fed them evidence and points of law.

Because only by that method would a grand jury indict on these trumped up charges.


79 posted on 04/03/2018 6:54:39 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: lizma2

And yet clearly not everybody or even a sizable minority died.

How is it that we can’t live any more with the concept of CHOOSING A BIG OBVIOUS RISK? No wonder we are snowflakes! Shaking my red necked hold-muh-beer head.


80 posted on 04/03/2018 6:57:40 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Tryin' hard to win the No-Bull Prize.)
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