US waterpark to fight criminal charges after child's death arrests

US waterpark Schlitterbahn has defended its co-owner Jeff Henry and ride designer John Schooley, after the pair were charged with reckless second-degree murder in relation to the death of a 10-year-old boy on its Verrückt waterslide in 2016.

Caleb Schwab - son of state representative Scott Schwab and his wife Michele - died riding what was the world's tallest waterslide, a ride investigators have called “rushed” and “structurally complicated”, adding that the ride ignored safety issues and replaced mathematical calculations with “crude trial-and-error methods.”

The charges against Henry and Schooley follow that of former company employee Tyler Miles, who has been accused of involuntary manslaughter and several counts of aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child and interference with law enforcement. The new indictment accuses Henry of making a “spur of the moment” decision to build the ride, adding that he and Schooley lacked technical or engineering expertise in creating amusement park rides.

In a statement Schlitterbahn promised to fight the criminal charges against all three men.

The statement from the Texas, USA-based Schlitterbahn advised “this indictment, as in the previous one related to Tyler Miles, is wrought with references to the outtakes of a dramatic, scripted television show, and filled with information that we fully dispute.

“Jeff Henry has designed waterpark rides the world over. Nearly every waterpark that exists today has an attraction or feature based on his designs or ideas.

“The incident that happened that day was a terrible and tragic accident. We mourn the loss of this child and are devastated for his family. We know that Tyler, Jeff, and John are innocent and that we run a safe operation - our 40 years of entertaining millions of people speaks to that.

“We are confident that their innocence will be proven in court where we know the facts will show this was an accident.”

Statement Regarding Indictment
“We were shocked by the allegations being made by the Kansas Attorney General about Tyler and our KC park. The allegation that we operated, and failed to maintain, a ride that could foreseeably cause such a tragic accident is beyond the pale of speculation. Many of us, and our children and grandchildren, have ridden the ride with complete confidence as to its safety. Our operational mantra has been and will forever be Safety First.

“The accusation that we withheld information or altered evidence is completely false. We have operated with integrity from day one at the waterpark – as we do throughout our waterparks and resorts. We put our guests and employees safety first; and safety and maintenance are at the top of our list of priorities.

“Since the date of the incident we have worked closely with law enforcement; at no time have we withheld evidence; at no time have we altered evidence. The indictment uses quoted statements from a reality TV show that was scripted for dramatic effect that in no way reflects the design and construction of the ride.

“Quotes were purported to be from definitive design meetings, when they were, in fact, ‘acting’.

“During the civil matter, attorneys involved noted that we cooperated fully, provided thousands of documents, and that nothing was withheld or tampered with.

“In fact, the indictment presented is so full of false information that it has shocked the Kansas legal community ...

“Our legal team will be speaking out against each of the allegations point by point in the coming weeks and months. Rest assured, we stand behind our staff and all our parks. We will be fighting these charges aggressively. We know that Tyler is innocent and that we run a safe operation – our 40 years of entertaining millions of people speaks to that.

“We look forward to proving this in court where we know the facts will prove this was an accident.”

Images: The Verruckt ride at Schlitterbarn Kansas City (top  and Caleb Schwab (below).

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