amy_mel Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Is the bottom of the slide always red? This is a scary picture. If you zoom in on the photo, look right above the white van in the back, looks like there is more blood on the slide. You are right. That just opens even more questions as to what happened to this poor child. I hope his family gets the answers they need. I can't imagine what they are going through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 I guess I shouldn't judge until I go No, in fact you shouldn't even be making ANY opinionated comments at all in this thread about a park you've never been to. It just makes you look like a complete fool. And based on your comments I suspect that's exactly what you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Killing a lawmakers son is the only thing worse for a theme park than the resident Shamu/Shamu equivalent eating the trainer. Therecare very few occasions by which decapitation death on a ride is inherently likely even with misconduct, and Verruckt is an attraction with an array of thrikes already against it in terms of its design. I'm willing to hear out an investigation still, but that park (and Kansas attractions in general) are about to see changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prozach626 Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 I don't think anyone should jump to any conclusions. When the hell did people start taking twitter as a reliable source? Everything so far is hearsay in reference to any harness malfunction. Reminds me of the Texas Giant incident where the garbage bin that is social media filled up with rumors that the victim's harness didn't "click." I'll do the rare thing for anyone living in 2016 and actually wait until the facts come out before passing any judgement. I guess I shouldn't judge until I go No, in fact you shouldn't even be making ANY opinionated comments at all in this thread about a park you've never been to. It just makes you look like a complete fool. And based on your comments I suspect that's exactly what you are. There aren't enough emojis in the world for this reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyislandchris Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Killing a lawmakers son is the only thing worse for a theme park than the resident Shamu/Shamu equivalent eating the trainer. Therecare very few occasions by which decapitation death on a ride is inherently likely even with misconduct, and Verruckt is an attraction with an array of thrikes already against it in terms of its design. I'm willing to hear out an investigation still, but that park (and Kansas attractions in general) are about to see changes. Couldn't agree with this more. What a horrible, unbelievable tragedy; as the father of a young boy I've been shaken and sickened by this news, and my heart and sympathy goes out to the family of the deceased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julioot Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 That blood.. what a horrible sight. Watching the pov, it's hard to imagine the boat flying of the tracks without a sudden gust of wind or something out of the ordinary. I can imagine the restraints being easily removable or poorly tightened. I hope we'll get to know soon what really happend here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Also from Twitter, witnesses are reporting that the harness system wasn't functioning properly prior to the accident. My thoughts are with the boy's family and anyone who witnessed this. I wouldn't put too much into that until the results of the investigation become public. I would think if this were the case the slide wouldn't have remained in operation. That's always one of the first things to come out from first hand reports with theme park accidents and it's rarely ever accurate. Could it be this time? Maybe, and we'll find out. But I'm skeptical on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougMJr Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Absolutely heartbreaking. My thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy; first responders, the ride operators, park staff, and especially the family and friends of Caleb. What's more, it is surprising that something like this can still happen despite today's rigorous safety standards and best practices that are implemented throughout the industry. I will be interested in what the investigation determines as the cause of the incident. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FKA 'Playa Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Are the riders on this slide weighed prior to boarding like DW does for Mountain Slidewinder and SDC did for Wilderness Waterboggin when it was still in operation? First and foremost, my deepest condolences to the family. I can't imagine how I'd feel if that was one of my daughters. To answer the question: You're weighed at the bottom to ensure your group falls within a minimum/maximum weight range. You're LECTURED while you're still on the ground. No, really. It's a safety spiel for which you're required to answer 'yes' at various junctures. After all, besides the rigors of the ride itself, there's the stairs. If you have a cardiac episode climbing them? They're not going to get to you very quickly. They wanted guests to be aware of every risk they could think of. After the stair climb, you're weighed again to ensure you didn't redistribute your group for extra speed. Smaller kids tend to get more rides than the average adult. Almost as many as they want, if they're clever. If they hang out in the standby line, they're quickly added to underweight groups. My wife and I love Schlitterbahn and Schlitterbahn loves their guests right back. It's something you feel from top to bottom during a visit. While I haven't been swift to return to post-Ferguson Missouri, the missus and I enjoyed Schlitterbahn Galveston Island on her business trip in June, missing Massiv's opening by that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I305forever Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Does anyone know how long it will take until an official report comes out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n1ch0las Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 I wouldn't expect an official report for a very long time, and when it does get released it won't include as many details as you might think. This is such a terrible tragedy for everyone (park included) and one of those accidents that just punches you in the gut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim2009 Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 I saw in the news. It was really shocking. I can't forget that moment that I introduced that amazing water slide to my Internet cafe, but I'm so sad to hear this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy_mel Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Also from Twitter, witnesses are reporting that the harness system wasn't functioning properly prior to the accident. My thoughts are with the boy's family and anyone who witnessed this. I wouldn't put too much into that until the results of the investigation become public. I would think if this were the case the slide wouldn't have remained in operation. That's always one of the first things to come out from first hand reports with theme park accidents and it's rarely ever accurate. Could it be this time? Maybe, and we'll find out. But I'm skeptical on that one. I don't put much stock in any eyewitness account, especially ones on social media. If the person was truly there they likely don't have the best recollection because of adrenaline from all of the commotion and activity. That's why I put out there that it was from Twitter. I could never being myself to get on a water ride that tall so I wasn't even sure of what type of harness system the rafts have. The whole situation is so scary and tragic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FKA 'Playa Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 As with any record-breaking attraction, there tends to be a group of folks watching BUT the layout of the ride and park would make it very difficult to observe with great detail. I say that recalling my wife's difficulty spotting me during a ride. And I might be easier to spot than some. Short of a zoom lens and lightning reflexes, they're all watching from a distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahecht Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Short of a zoom lens and lightning reflexes, they're all watching from a distance. Except, of course, for the other people in the raft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelForceless Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Short of a zoom lens and lightning reflexes, they're all watching from a distance. Except, of course, for the other people in the raft. Oh god. Never even thought about the other members in the raft. That must be traumatizing to watch someone lose their head in front of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinM Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Speaking of the other people in the raft, it seems their injuries have been overshadowed by the death of the young boy. This article gives a bit more detail on them. "Caleb was reportedly riding the slide with two adult women, with whom he was matched on the raft. The women are from north of Hays, Kan. One suffered a broken jaw, and the other a broken bone in her face and had to have stitches in her eye. The husband of one of the women says they are also suffering emotionally. He says the women do not know exactly what happened because it happened so fast. One of them had her eyes closed." All three guests were hurt. That leads me to believe that this accident was caused by something more than just the small size of the boy. However, it seems like the survivors are not going to be great witnesses, so the investigation may not be able to reveal exactly what happenend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FKA 'Playa Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Except, of course, for the other people in the raft. Those two would; smallest rider sits in front. The depth to which an adult is 'couched' in the boat, the height of the seatbacks and the overall intensity and brevity of the experience would still limit any pre-accident observations. None of which diminishes the horror of the aftermath. I'd NEVER want to watch someone else die under any circumstances whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Corn Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Maybe the raft was too light or the water pressure was too high, so when they went up the hill, the raft flew up and tilted backward, and hit the netting, sadly the young boy died, but the woman survived due to the fact that they were not in the front row. Just as everyone said, this is just absoluetly horrible, and prayers for the family and those involved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FKA 'Playa Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 I don't want to speculate about what may or may not have happened. I will say the seatbacks, while lightweight (foam?) are solid and stiff, while the rest of the boat is flexible. An abrupt change in speed for any reason could have forcibly driven the seatbacks into the other riders. That's as far as I'll go with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahecht Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Local news is now reporting that the boy was 10 years old, not 12: Questions swirl as grief falls over family of Caleb Schwab, 10-year-old killed at Schlitterbahn The initial confusion seems to be that the boy's older brother Nathan, who is 12, was watching as the accident occurred. Also, a Go Fund Me fundraising page for funeral and other expenses has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/2wrj7w4c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomPoster32 Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 2014 was a very weird year for Kansas City parks. First you had Steelhawk, a malfunctioning swing ride that gets stuck almost every day now (even got stuck today), and Verruckt, a prototype slide that has now killed a rider. Both of these attractions were heavily delayed (both opened in July), and now both are having terrible malfunctions (of course Verruckt being the worse of the two). I feel like it might be in the best interest to remove both of these attractions and start fresh with a new attraction for both parks that takes everyone's mind off the parks' past mistakes. Having said that, I really don't know if Schlitterbahn can survive an accident like this. To be honest, the park flat out sucks. Verruckt was really the only attraction at the park that I couldn't take a nap on. And especially having this be a fairly new park, with a death taking place on their newest attraction...ugh... As hard as it must be for the park, it must be equally hard for the families. Most Kansas City schools start tomorrow, so having this happen on what might have been their last family outing...devastating. Prayers go out to the family and anyone involved or at the park. I've never been to Schitterbahn KCK just because of how lackluster the park is. But I don't think I'll ever spend my money at this park in light of recent events. Call me crazy, but that's just how I feel. Talk about blowing things out of proportion. 1. SteelHawk does not get "stuck" every day. 2. SteelHawk did not get "stuck" on Sunday. 3. You say you've never been to Schlitterbahn - how can you comment on its "luster"? 4. Perhaps you shouldn't comment on things you really don't know about? Schlitterbahn is a tubing park. Yes it doesn't have anything really from the WhiteWaterWest catalogue that most waterparks have but that's because this is not most waterparks. You can literally stay in your tube the entire day and experience most of the park. That's a bonus not having to be out of the water waiting in lines. It really is one of the most relaxing parks out there. Very laid back. Schlitterbahn will recover from this. They're probably going to need a flashy new toy to bring people back in by the droves but it'll recover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Corn Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 ^^^ I'm not sure that the park will eventually recover, but I don't think people will ever ride that ride again, even if they do reopen it (which is controversial). I think that however, people's decision to return will depend on the outcome of the inspection. If it was rider error, I think that people will eventually return, and all the staff will be retrained. But, if it was the parks fault, I would say that the parks future is in jepordy. Again, prayers for the family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Deaths at parks are always sad, but it seems even more devastating when it happens to a child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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