Charges have been filed against waterpark operator Schlitterbahn and a former employee in connection with the 2016 death of a young boy on its Verrückt waterslide.
On a mission to deliver a record-breaking slide, say investigators, the attraction in Kansas City rushed a ride which was dangerous and structurally complicated, ignoring safety issues and replacing mathematical calculations with “crude trial-and-error methods.”
10-year-old Caleb Thomas Schwab – son of state representative Scott Schwab and his wife Michele – was decapitated while riding Verrückt, which had requirements of two-to-three riders to be strapped in a raft with a total weight between 400 and 500 pounds.
Schlitterbahn and Tyler Austin Miles, who is the park’s former director of operations, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and several counts of aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child and interference with law enforcement.
According to investigators, not only did the company know its ride was unsafe, but that multiple injuries ranging from neck pain to concussion had already occured prior to the boy’s death. The investigators also allege that Schlitterbahn hid those injury reports and other safety issues from police, who were investigating the death.
At a hearing on 23 March, Miles pleaded not guilty. According to Miles’ attorney, he had become a “target” in the investigation due to being in charge of the waterpark at the time of the death. Miles was not involved in the slide’s design.
“We are deeply disappointed to learn that any individual is being personally charged for the terrible accident on Verrückt,” said a Schlitterbahn statement.
“Our review of the facts and circumstances of the accident has never shown any evidence of criminal conduct on the part of anyone. The safety of our guests and employees has been at the forefront of our culture throughout our 40 years of operations. Our families enjoy our waterparks and its rides and attractions. We have set the highest bar for safety in our industry.
“Throughout his employment with us, our operations director, Tyler, demonstrated the highest dedication to safety, from the training of our lifeguards and ride operators, to ensuring all rides have operated in accordance with our strict protocols. He was conscientious and committed to providing visitors to the waterpark a safe and enjoyable experience. Tyler left us in September to accept great opportunity; we were sorry to see him go and wished him well. We stand by him and are shocked by these allegations.”
Verrückt – the German word for insane – features a three-second freefall reaching speeds of around 50mph (80kph) before being launched upwards into a ‘weightless’ situation and then plummeting down once again to finish up in a splash pool. The 168ft (51.2m) slide’s opening was delayed several times, with technical glitches costing around US$1m (€734,000 £584,000) to fix. The ride now remains permanently closed.
