KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The amusement park ride that killed a 10-year-old boy will never operate again.
Billed as the world's tallest water slide, Schlitterbahn Kansas City Water Park's Verruckt will be demolished after the investigation into the death of 10-year Caleb Thomas Schwab is complete, according to a statement released Tuesday from Schlitterbahn.
Caleb was killed Aug. 7 while riding the water slide. He was found dead with what police termed a "fatal neck injury."
The statement from the water park read:
"All of us at Schlitterbahn have been heartbroken over the tragedy that occurred on Verruckt. In our 50 years of providing an environment for families and friends to gather, we've never experienced this kind of devastating event. The safety of our staff and our guests is our top priority. We are parents and grandparents ourselves and many of us have ridden Verruckt with our own children and grandchildren over the years it operated.
"Once the investigation is concluded and we are given permission by the court, Verruckt will be decommissioned _ closed permanently and the slide removed from the tower. In our opinion, it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy.
"We will, at some point in the future, announce what will be built in its place."
The 168-foot, 17-story drop Verruckt opened in 2014 amid a well-oiled publicity campaign that attracted media from around the globe to Kansas City, Kan. Mayor Mark Holland was one of the first to try the slide.
USA Today, ESPN, "The Today Show" and "NBC Nightly News" joined The Kansas City Star and virtually all other local news outlets in touting the slide.
For most of two years, the slide seemed to work without many issues. However, visitors told The Star after Caleb's death that they experienced problems on Verruckt, mainly poorly secured restraints and rafts going airborne.
Dawn Gentry, of Wichita, Kan., rode the water slide with her daughter in July, more than a week before Caleb's death. As they approached the slide's second drop, Gentry said, their raft flew into the air, concerning the workers at the end of the ride. Gentry was one of several people who told The Star this summer about mishaps on the Verruckt.
When told Tuesday evening that the slide would eventually be torn down, Gentry said that's what she was hoping would happen.
"I think that's good for that family and everybody," Gentry told The Star. "I would have been surprised if they wouldn't have done that. ... I just thought that was the necessary step. I'm glad it's happening."
