Verruckt to be demolished

[Barry Martin]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/23/503167390/worlds-tallest-waterslide-to-be-demolished-after-boys-death

Charlie Riedel/AP
A 17-story-high water slide in Kansas City, which is billed as the world's tallest, is going to be torn down after a 10-year-old rider was killed in August.

The ride – called Verrückt, the German word for insane — has been closed since Caleb Thomas Schwab's death.

"Once the investigation is concluded and we are given permission by the court, Verrückt will be decommissioned – closed permanently and the slide removed from the tower," Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts said in a statement Tuesday. "In our opinion, it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy."

Caleb suffered a "fatal neck injury," police told The Kansas City Star. His death shocked his community, and at his school he "was known to ask deep questions, enjoy modern Christian music and be pretty good at telling a joke." Two women were injured at the same time.

"Attorneys for Schwab family — Caleb's father is Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab — and the women are independently investigating the accident," according to The Associated Press. "No charges or lawsuits have been filed as of Tuesday."

The 168-foot-tall slide opened to the public with much fanfare in 2014, though "design problems repeatedly pushed back the launch," as NPR reported. When it opened, it unseated a Brazilian slide as the world's tallest.

"The slide launches people on a large raft that organizers say will reach speeds topping 60 mph before it comes to rest after completing an initial large drop that's followed by a second rise and fall," The Two-Way wrote when the slide opened.

Kansas "is known for its light regulation of amusement park rides," according to the AP, which noted that all of the water park's rides "passed private inspections in June."

Schlitterbahn said that its entire team is "heartbroken" over Caleb's death. "We continue to fully cooperate with investigative teams and work with the families, their attorneys and our staff impacted by this accident," it added.

[dr. m]

Two things, one, it always amazes me how much insinuation goes into these kinds of stories from supposedly legitimate news sources, like mentioning the design problems the ride had before it opened and the lax regulatory laws in Kansas, as if either of those things had anything to do with the accident, which is completely unknown.

Two, I love the qualification "pretty good" in the sentence "His death shocked his community, and at his school he 'was known to ask deep questions, enjoy modern Christian music and be pretty good at telling a joke.'" "We need something to write about this kid, what did you find out from his friends at school?" "Well, let's see, he could tell a joke... I mean he wasn't GREAT at it... but he was, you know, pretty good."

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

Post by dr. m
Two things, one, it always amazes me how much insinuation goes into these kinds of stories from supposedly legitimate news sources, like mentioning the design problems the ride had before it opened and the lax regulatory laws in Kansas, as if either of those things had anything to do with the accident, which is completely unknown.
Two, I love the qualification "pretty good" in the sentence "His death shocked his community, and at his school he 'was known to ask deep questions, enjoy modern Christian music and be pretty good at telling a joke.'" "We need something to write about this kid, what did you find out from his friends at school?" "Well, let's see, he could tell a joke... I mean he wasn't GREAT at it... but he was, you know, pretty good."

Let's be fair here. I love Schlitterbahn as much as the next guy. But
this thing was plagued with design problems from the beginning. This was
just too much of a leap from existing rides to be taken. When the vehicle
was flying off the ride in test runs, that's not a small problem! I'm
still amazed that they allowed that footage to be aired on TV! They had to
realize that lawyers would be using it if even the slightest accident
happened!

The fact that they had to be so strict with the weight limits shows that
there were problems. When your window is that small, it's probably not a
good idea to have kids sending people off in this ride!

Clearly, this ride was beset with problems. And clearly, the company
rushed to get this open. But in this case, it's pretty clear that they
should have taken more time.

It doesn't help that after the accident, we heard about all sorts of
incidents on the ride. Velcro coming loose. (And why would they even use
velcro?) People flying up too high. There's no way that the park didn't
know about at least some of these problems. More signs that they should
have shut it down when it was having problems.

All in all, this was a tragedy that could have probably been averted with
more caution.



"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured,
the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us
all irrevocably." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
"The Drumhead", _Star Trek: The Next Generation_

[skiguy777]

Post by David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply

Post by dr. m
Two things, one, it always amazes me how much insinuation goes into these kinds of stories from supposedly legitimate news sources, like mentioning the design problems the ride had before it opened and the lax regulatory laws in Kansas, as if either of those things had anything to do with the accident, which is completely unknown.
Two, I love the qualification "pretty good" in the sentence "His death shocked his community, and at his school he 'was known to ask deep questions, enjoy modern Christian music and be pretty good at telling a joke.'" "We need something to write about this kid, what did you find out from his friends at school?" "Well, let's see, he could tell a joke... I mean he wasn't GREAT at it... but he was, you know, pretty good."

Let's be fair here. I love Schlitterbahn as much as the next guy. But
this thing was plagued with design problems from the beginning. This was
just too much of a leap from existing rides to be taken. When the vehicle
was flying off the ride in test runs, that's not a small problem! I'm
still amazed that they allowed that footage to be aired on TV! They had to
realize that lawyers would be using it if even the slightest accident
happened!
The fact that they had to be so strict with the weight limits shows that
there were problems. When your window is that small, it's probably not a
good idea to have kids sending people off in this ride!
Clearly, this ride was beset with problems. And clearly, the company
rushed to get this open. But in this case, it's pretty clear that they
should have taken more time.
It doesn't help that after the accident, we heard about all sorts of
incidents on the ride. Velcro coming loose. (And why would they even use
velcro?) People flying up too high. There's no way that the park didn't
know about at least some of these problems. More signs that they should
have shut it down when it was having problems.
All in all, this was a tragedy that could have probably been averted with
more caution.
"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured,
the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us
all irrevocably." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
"The Drumhead", _Star Trek: The Next Generation_

Kinda related, story came from Screamscape. The Fort Lauderdale Park is once again on hold.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-sb-fort-lauderdale-schlitterbahn-stopped-20170329-story.html

Seems that The Rapids water park to the north doesn't want the competition. They want to bid on the property.

I've been to The Rapids. Good water park but they don't have any water coasters yet. They're kinda land locked.

The problem with building a water park in Fort Lauderdale is that it rains just about every day in the summer. Six Flags failed for this reason. I went to that park back in the day as a kid before it closed.

For anyone to build a water park in Fort Lauderdale, it needs to be the indoor kind. I don't see how they're going to fit a water park, soccer, lacrosse fields, and hotel on that site, and have room for expansion.

[t***@gmail.com]

Post by Barry Martin
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/23/503167390/worlds-tallest-waterslide-to-be-demolished-after-boys-death
Charlie Riedel/AP
A 17-story-high water slide in Kansas City, which is billed as the world's tallest, is going to be torn down after a 10-year-old rider was killed in August.
The ride – called Verrückt, the German word for insane — has been closed since Caleb Thomas Schwab's death.
"Once the investigation is concluded and we are given permission by the court, Verrückt will be decommissioned – closed permanently and the slide removed from the tower," Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts said in a statement Tuesday. "In our opinion, it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy."
Caleb suffered a "fatal neck injury," police told The Kansas City Star. His death shocked his community, and at his school he "was known to ask deep questions, enjoy modern Christian music and be pretty good at telling a joke." Two women were injured at the same time.
"Attorneys for Schwab family — Caleb's father is Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab — and the women are independently investigating the accident," according to The Associated Press. "No charges or lawsuits have been filed as of Tuesday."
The 168-foot-tall slide opened to the public with much fanfare in 2014, though "design problems repeatedly pushed back the launch," as NPR reported. When it opened, it unseated a Brazilian slide as the world's tallest.
"The slide launches people on a large raft that organizers say will reach speeds topping 60 mph before it comes to rest after completing an initial large drop that's followed by a second rise and fall," The Two-Way wrote when the slide opened.
Kansas "is known for its light regulation of amusement park rides," according to the AP, which noted that all of the water park's rides "passed private inspections in June."
Schlitterbahn said that its entire team is "heartbroken" over Caleb's death. "We continue to fully cooperate with investigative teams and work with the families, their attorneys and our staff impacted by this accident," it added.

_____
I looked at Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park aerials on all the online map services, and they all show Verruckt still standing, THREE YEARS after Caleb Schwab died on it!

I do get that the online map services aerial views can run 1-2 years behind, but three?

Sure Schlitterbahn park can't just leave that bad memory standing indefinitely. Plus it's occupying otherwise revenue generating park space.

[t***@gmail.com]

Post by Barry Martin
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/23/503167390/worlds-tallest-waterslide-to-be-demolished-after-boys-death
Charlie Riedel/AP
A 17-story-high water slide in Kansas City, which is billed as the world's tallest, is going to be torn down after a 10-year-old rider was killed in August.
The ride – called Verrückt, the German word for insane — has been closed since Caleb Thomas Schwab's death.
"Once the investigation is concluded and we are given permission by the court, Verrückt will be decommissioned – closed permanently and the slide removed from the tower," Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts said in a statement Tuesday. "In our opinion, it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy."
Caleb suffered a "fatal neck injury," police told The Kansas City Star. His death shocked his community, and at his school he "was known to ask deep questions, enjoy modern Christian music and be pretty good at telling a joke." Two women were injured at the same time.
"Attorneys for Schwab family — Caleb's father is Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab — and the women are independently investigating the accident," according to The Associated Press. "No charges or lawsuits have been filed as of Tuesday."
The 168-foot-tall slide opened to the public with much fanfare in 2014, though "design problems repeatedly pushed back the launch," as NPR reported. When it opened, it unseated a Brazilian slide as the world's tallest.
"The slide launches people on a large raft that organizers say will reach speeds topping 60 mph before it comes to rest after completing an initial large drop that's followed by a second rise and fall," The Two-Way wrote when the slide opened.
Kansas "is known for its light regulation of amusement park rides," according to the AP, which noted that all of the water park's rides "passed private inspections in June."
Schlitterbahn said that its entire team is "heartbroken" over Caleb's death. "We continue to fully cooperate with investigative teams and work with the families, their attorneys and our staff impacted by this accident," it added.

_____
I looked at Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park aerials on all the online map services, and they all show Verruckt still standing, THREE YEARS after Caleb Schwab died on it!

I do get that the online map services aerial views can run 1-2 years behind, but three?

Surely Schlitterbahn park can't just leave that bad memory standing indefinitely. Plus it's occupying otherwise revenue generating park space.

[t***@gmail.com]

____
I looked at Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park aerials on all the online map services, and they all show Verruckt still standing, THREE YEARS after Caleb Schwab died on it!

I do get that the online map services aerial views can run 1-2 years behind, but three?

Surely Schlitterbahn park can't just leave that bad memory standing indefinitely. Plus it's occupying otherwise revenue generating park space.

[t***@gmail.com]

_____
I looked at Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park aerials on all the
online map services, and they all show Verruckt still standing,
THREE YEARS after Caleb Schwab died on it!

I do get that the online map services aerial views can run 1-2 years
behind, but three?

Surely Schlitterbahn park can't just leave that bad memory standing
indefinitely. Plus it's occupying otherwise revenue generating park space.

[CanobieFan]

Who cares that it's still standing after it killed someone? There are dozens of killer coasters still running and people still line up for them, for hours. Superman, Superman, Raven, Texas Giant.....

[s***@aol.com]

If it is still standing, maybe they legally have to keep it standing?

[t***@gmail.com]

Aug ***@aol.com wrote:
"If it is still standing, maybe they legally have to keep it standing? "

For investigative purposes, I agree. But I had assumed that
all of that had been sorted out by at the latest 2017.

From the post-incident footage and photos, it appears to me that
the 10 year old boy, for whatever reason, lifted out of his seat
as his raft was cresting the camelback. The bent hoops
supporting the netting, on the descending side of that camelback,
seem to indicate that there was where he hit the netting, and allegedly
decapitated.

If I were either the rider in front of or behind Caleb(he was in the middle
seat) I'd probably be traumatized for life by what I witnessed during
those few seconds!

As for the other respondents here: If someone died on a ride, and
there were other injuries preceding that death(as there were a dozen
complaints from Verruckt), that ride should come down as soon as
the investigation and all lawsuits and possible appeals are settled,
period.

Leaving it standing once the case is completely closed would be an
insult to those injured, to the deceased, and to their families, not to
mention just bad taste. Period.

[BaSSiStiStiSt]

Post by CanobieFan
Who cares that it's still standing after it killed someone? There are dozens of killer coasters still running and people still line up for them, for hours. Superman, Superman, Raven, Texas Giant.....

Revolution's killed two.

[s***@gmail.com]

Ummmm... almost all coaster accidents in the U.S. are because of operator error not crappy engineering. And coasters go through a hell of a lot more testing and inspections than any water slide.

[a***@gmail.com]

"Operator error" usually comes down to "the ride has a shockingly small window of safety which a hungover teenager is supposed to figure out while also not actually thinking hard because that's a liability". So I generally consider those engineering failures too. It's not the 19 year old Slovenian J visa with English as a 5th language who designed the restraint system.

[t***@gmail.com]

Well, here's our answer:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/fox4kc.com/2018/11/14/only-stairs-remain-where-verruckt-waterslide-once-stood-at-schlitterbahn/amp/

[CanobieFan]

So if it hurts and kills it needs to be taken down? I'm not trying to stir the pot... I just wanna know what your feelings are towards SFNE's Superman. It crashed a loaded train into a train loading in the station and pushed it a car or so onto the lift hill... it reopened... and then 3 years later, killed a rider! (I was in the park, awful day) and a month later it's back open and has a full queue (I make a return visit and ride it again), ride goes on to still be considered one of *the best* rides on earth. Should Six Flags have removed the ride for the family who lost their (adult) son...and the +30 people involved in the 2001 accident?

[d***@hotmail.com]

The 2004 Superman accident involved a man who should not have been on the ride due to the lap bar not fitting him properly. He had been previously turned away and managed to get on the ride that fateful trip. Quite a difference between that and Verruckt where the ride was a poor design for *all* riders.

[t***@gmail.com]

Canobie:

SROS NE was designed by actual engineers, unlike VERRUCKT.

And the bucked-off-Superman incident was related to human
error, and not following criteria regarding who is and who is not
allowed on board that particular ride.

Wanna ride that allows nearly everyone, of all ages and sizes, on
board?

There's the ferris wheel.

[t***@gmail.com]

Post by t***@gmail.com
SROS NE was designed by actual engineers, unlike VERRUCKT.
And the bucked-off-Superman incident was related to human
error, and not following criteria regarding who is and who is not
allowed on board that particular ride.
Wanna ride that allows nearly everyone, of all ages and sizes, on
board?
There's the ferris wheel.

Don't Ferris Wheels actually have quite poor safety records, due to riders climbing out?

[t***@gmail.com]

"Don't Ferris Wheels actually have quite poor safety records, due to riders climbing out? "


That's a rider behavior issue, not a ride design issue. Unless they
decide to cage in all ferris wheel gondolas around the world.

[s***@gmail.com]

Son of Beast didn't actually kill anyone and it was torn down