Child's Death On World's Tallest Water Slide Under Investigation
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) -- A popular water park in Kansas City, Kansas remained closed Monday morning following a death on the park's main attraction - the world's tallest water slide.
Investigators are trying to piece together what led to the tragic accident that killed 10-year old Caleb Schwab at Kansas City's Schlitterbahn Waterpark. Officials have yet to determine what happened.
"We honestly don't know what happened. That's why an investigation, a full investigation, is underway," said Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio.
The child was killed on the Verrückt water slide Sunday afternoon.
Witnesses said they saw the boy's body lying on the ground.
"First responders started covering it up with a white sheet. You just don't really want to believe what's going on," said witness Kelsey Friedrichsen.
The ride, certified as the world's tallest by the Guinness Book of World Records, features a 168-feet plunge at 65 miles per hour. About 264 stairs lead to the top.
Caleb, the son of a Kansas state lawmaker, Scott Schwab, was at the park with his family at the time as part of a special "free admission" day for lawmakers and their families.
In a statement the family thanked the community for their support, saying "As we try to mend our home with (Caleb) no longer with us, we are comforted knowing he believed in our Savior Jesus, and they are forever together now. We will see him another day."
According to the park's website, Verrückt riders have to be at least 54 inches tall. All occupants in the three-person raft cannot exceed 550 pounds.
The 2014 opening of Verruckt was delayed multiple times, though the operators didn't explain why. Two media sneak preview days in 2014 were canceled because of problems with a conveyor system that hauls 100-pound rafts to the top of the slide.
Prosapio said in 2014 that park officials would not hesitate to delay operation again for however long it takes to make sure the slide is safe.
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.
"All our rides are inspected every day actually. And our rides are inspected by an outside party at the start before the season starts," said Prosapio.
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.
As for the water slide, it's closed indefinitely. The park's website does not give an age restriction but according to published reports when the slide opened, riders had to be 14 years old. Caleb was only 10-years-old.
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