TOPEKA — The death of a colleague’s son has spurred lawmakers in the often anti-regulation Kansas to toughen the state’s inspection requirements for amusement parks.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback said he plans to sign legislation on Monday that will strengthen amusement park regulations. The bill passed the House and Senate by wide margins.
The change comes after Republican Rep. Scott Schwab’s 10-year-old son, Caleb, died last summer on a waterslide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.
An investigation into the death is ongoing, but the waterslide, which was dubbed the world’s highest when it opened, has been closed since the accident.
The Schwab family has settled with the park’s owner, the manufacturer of the raft that carried riders down the slide, a general contractor and a consulting company.
