KANSAS CITY – – A 10-year-old boy was decapitated as he rode a waterslide at a Kansas water park.
A person who is familiar with the investigation but is not authorized to speak about the boy’s death told The Associated Press Wednesday that Caleb Schwab was decapitated Sunday on the “Verruckt” ride at the Schlitterbahn WaterPark in Kansas City, Kansas.
Caleb, the son of a Kansas lawmaker, was in a raft with two adults who were not related to him when he was killed on the 168-foot tall ride. The other two were treated for facial injuries.
A spokeswoman for the waterpark declined to discuss the circumstances of the boy’s death.
“Verruckt” is German for insane.
Associated Press writer Maria Sudekum contributed to this report
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Schlitterbahn WaterPark in Kansas has reopened except for a sprawling section including the “Verruckt” waterslide, where a 10-year-old boy was decapitated over the weekend.
Although the raft ride where the boy died was not open, its towering profile greeted visitors Wednesday as soon as they drove through the entrance.
Pulling a cooler behind her, 42-year-old Sara Craig said she was looking forward to an afternoon of water fun Wednesday with her 14-year-old son, Cale, and one of his 13-year-old friends.
But she said that she was feeling guilty when a family is hurting so badly.
She said the family rode Verruckt twice in one day a couple of weeks ago
Craig said that during her first trip down the ride with her son and one of his friends, her shoulder restraint came off, something she opted not to report to park workers.
So they rode it again, only to see the restraint on her son’s friend also come loose by the time it was over.
