Posted on 08/08/2016 11:19:01 AM PDT by Wolfie
Lawmaker's Young Son Dies on 'World's Largest' Water Slide
he young son of a Kansas state lawmaker died Sunday on a water slide that is billed as the world's largest, according to officials and the boy's family.
Authorities did not immediately identify the child who died at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas, but state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife released a statement saying it was their son Caleb Thomas Schwab.
"Since the day he was born, he brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with," said the statement, which asked for privacy as the family grieves.
Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio said the child died on one of the park's main attractions, Verruckt, a 168-foot-tall water slide that has 264 stairs leading to the top.
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.
Officials haven't provided specific details about what led to Caleb's death. Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said he did not have any information, and Prosapio said more details would be released later.
"We honestly don't know what's happened," she told reporters at a news conference. "That's why ... a full investigation is necessary. We have to understand what's happened."
The park will be closed Monday, and the ride will be closed pending the investigation, Prosapio said.
Authorities initially said the victim was 12 years old, but Clint Sprague, a pastor who is acting as a spokesman for the family, said Caleb was 10.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Wonder why they are holding back any info on how this happened?
Forthcoming Lawsuits ...
Pretty sad......Don’t think they are 100% sure?
Think the kid became air born coming out of that 1st dip and may have hit the net thing.Maybe he wasn’t properly secured in the raft ??
Time will tell..
My sincere sympathy to the family. I’m sure they’re heartbroken and would give anything to call back the moment they allowed their son to get on this ride. However, this is a wakeup call to the rest of us. We don’t have to tempt fate like this. Our children don’t need to be put on the world’s fastest slide/roller coaster/whatever. Be smart.
So sad.
Holy crap, you wouldn’t even catch me climbing those steps.....
Heartbreaking.
Look at that ride. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
Oh, that’s very sad. My deepest sympathies to the family.
Very sad. It sounds like the ride was originally set up with height requirements and/or minimum age of 14. This boy was 10. Have not seen any details as to what actually happened.
Hmm, well now I have one reason to visit Kansas City...
Horrible situation I know the father he is a good guy. Just a very tragic accident.
Tragic loss. Breaks the heart.
Apparently nothing obvious happened mechanically, or wouldn’t others be reporting it? There isn’t enough water to have drowned on the ride itself.
This is just the type of ride that could incite unknown physical conditions. Heart, or brain, or even impact.
Terrible.
Hope this isn't the fact but I wonder if they lied about his age to get him on it.
I’m with you.
They are not even reporting whether he was thrown from the ride or not.
That looks like a scary ride.
If the ride’s age requirement was 12 and the boy was indeed 10, I think both plaintiff and defense law firms are going to be VERY happy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.