What was supposed to be a fun
summer day
became a tragedy
when Caleb Schwab went down Verrückt,
the world's tallest waterslide.
The raft he was riding
went airborne
and collided with a metal pole
supporting safety netting,
resulting in his horrifying death.
But could his horrible death
have been prevented?
This was a ride like no other.
It was taller than Niagara Falls.
The slide would drop you
from 51.5 m (169 ft).
And you’d be flying along
at speeds of 113 km/h (70 mph).
You wish you could slow down,
but the braking system isn't working.
And that’s just one
of the many malfunctions
that made Verrückt
the most deadly waterslide.
Getting on any amusement park ride
has its risks,
but if you ever encounter
any of the following mistakes
made in the creation of Verrückt,
think twice about hopping on.
Its name, Verrückt
means insane in German.
And it was built insanely fast.
Jeffery Henry
is the co-founder of Schlitterbahn,
the amusement park in Kansas City
that was home to the deadly attraction.
In November 2012,
he set out to build a new ride,
more thrilling than anything
he had ever been involved with,
after television producers
discussed with him
a new show about incredible water parks.
Verrückt was designed in only five weeks
when the engineering of rides
of this magnitude
usually took several months.
The waterslide opened in 2014
and was featured on that television show,
leading people to believe the rush was on
so that Schlitterbahn ownership
could impress the series producers.
Just a week before the opening,
the firm hired to test the ride
informed the park of the risk of rafts
going airborne
and potentially killing the occupants.
Netting held in place by metal poles
was intended to prevent this
from happening.
However, the netting became an issue,
as the rafts kept going over the sides
and people got dangerously close
to the poles.
Riders described
that as they were going down the slide,
they could see where people
had hit the net
and they didn’t feel safe at all.
Caleb died on August 7th, 2016.
This terrible accident
led to the closing
of the dangerous waterslide,
but it wasn't the only incident
where riders were injured.
At least 13 other people
had suffered concussions,
lacerations and fractures.
Caleb was 10 years old,
even though the minimum age
recommended for such a ride is 16.
The park had originally decided
that riders had to be at least 14,
but right before opening,
they arbitrarily lifted all restrictions.
Parks enforce rules and regulations
on height and weight requirements
for numerous safety reasons.
If you don't see anything posted,
maybe sit that ride out.
Before opening to the public,
Verrückt was tested for riders
weighing up to a combined 250 kg (550 lb),
but not tested for the distribution
of that weight
between a raft's three seats.
The uneven weight distribution
on Caleb's raft
might have factored into the catastrophe.
He was only 33 kg (73 lb)
and was given the front seat
by the ride operators,
with two adults in the seats behind him.
The additional weight
in the back of the raft
may have forced its nose upward,
causing it to go over the edge
toward the netting.
Verrückt violated several standards
set by the American Society
for Testing and Materials.
It was a picture-perfect example
of how cutting corners
and disregarding safety measures
can have a fatal outcome.
Its braking system
had already failed 29 times
leading up to this.
Velcro straps holding riders in place
were also an issue.
People noticed that not only
were some of these straps damaged,
but they were also being repaired
with duct tape.
If you ever find yourself
about to go down a slide
that looks a little rundown
or you don’t feel safe,
trust your instincts and skip it.
But it’s summertime,
and it's hard to say no to fun.
That lineup of people in front of you
must mean everything is okay, right?
You find yourself going incredibly fast
when suddenly falling off looks inevitable.
Would you know what to do?
We have just the video for you,
here.