Kansas lawmaker's son killed on world's largest water slide

Carnival rides are safer because the bolts are tightened that day?

Inspectors Report: Ferris wheel that dropped girls had worn out rivets

 

Unregulated in Pennsylvania as well?

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Kansas water park shutters slide after it killed 10-year-old boy

 

Schlitterbahn corporation, ex-manager indicted in Verruckt water slide death

A 47-page indictment portrays Schlitterbahn and its two top executives as brazenly pursuing the construction of the world's tallest water slide in a quest to impress producers of a cable television show.

In rushing the slide to completion, the indictment said company leaders:

• Did not follow amusement park industry safety standards.
• Lacked their own expertise in designing a thrill ride.
• Ignored warnings and whistleblowers about the safety of Verruckt.
• Failed to maintain the slide once it was built.
• And later covered up evidence of riders suffering injuries before Caleb was killed.

"This child's death and the rapidly growing list of injuries were foreseeable and expected outcomes," the indictment said. "Verruckt's designers and operators knew that Verruckt posed a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death or severe bodily harm."

I've been to the two Schlitterbahns in Texas -- New Braunfels (the original) and Galveston. Nofuckinway am I ever going again.

 

I remember watching that TV show. It was pretty easy to see that at least one of the executives was super gung ho about building the world's tallest water slide. I remember on the show the first time they did a test run of it, they put in weighted dummies and they went flying hundreds of feet into the air, plunging to their inevitable death. The fix was to add a net so they couldn't get ejected off the tube.

Now, to his credit, when the slide was reaching its final stages, right before opening, the executive that pushed the envelope so much was willing to be a test dummy for the ride.

I'm going to have to find that show again so I can watch it.

And to your post, my son loves water slides, but I won't get on them anymore. I'm a big guy, gravity isn't kind to me. One too many times I damn near went off the side of the slide. I did one of those toboggan races at Disney one time and I swear I hit that second dip and I went airborne a good two feet before landing. And stopping at the bottom was a bitch too. Thank God that runway extended a good 50 feet or so because it took every inch of it to slow my big ass down.

 

Well, "to his credit," the heavy rope on this guy's "net fix" is what decapitated the boy, right?

If I recall, he came down the big slide, came up the little hill, and sailed off the top right into the rope edge of the net.

It's a tragedy all the way around, yes. But, JFC, that little boy just having some fun ...

 

Yes, I was in no way trying to give props to this guy for his "safety" idea. I was just saying that he was willing to put his life on the line to test the ride.

Accidents happen, no doubt, but I think a lot of people could see from the moment this idea was born that there was very much a huge risk in this water slide.

 

I guess I don't have a deep understanding of how all the litigation works, but having read several of these stories it's hard to imagine these people don't end up bankrupt. I'm not sure you could be any more irresponsible as a company.

 

I drive by the slide twice everyday on my commutes. It has remained standing during litigation. And everyday I think about my own kids and reflect on such an unthinkable loss. Jesus.

 

That and the little boy killed by the alligator at Disney World were really upsetting. Money cannot compensate enough.