Schlitterbahn Co-Owner Arrested in Texas for Boy’s Death at Water Park
New charges have been filed this week after the decapitation of a ten-year-old boy in 2016 while riding a water slide.
We all probably know about Schlitterbahn locations across the great state of Texas, but they also have one other location in Kansas. What the Kansas location claimed in 2014 was that they had the world's tallest water slide opening - the Verruckt, which closed in 2016 after the death of ten-year-old Caleb Schwab.
The raft Caleb was on went airborne and the ride snapped his neck killing him. Another two people were on the raft as well and suffered serious injuries. The family and those injured victims already received a settlement from courts, but more charges were filed this week. 20 felony charges came down from the Kansas court. They included a single count of involuntary manslaughter over the death of Caleb Schwab.
Jeffrey Henry, co-owner of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts, was booked into the jail in Cameron County, Texas. Former operations director, Tyler Austin Miles was also brought up on charges for the death as well. The indictment against Miles and the park alleges that Verruckt met few, if any, industry standards and that Miles delayed or avoided necessary repairs, even after the ride's brake system failed.
The indictment also said Henry helped design the giant waterslide even though he had "no technical or engineering credentials" and that he set a "rushed timeline" for its construction.
Schlitterbahn said last week's indictment is "full of false information," and the company also rejected its allegations that Miles and the company withheld information from law enforcement officials. It said the allegation that Caleb's death was foreseeable is "beyond the pale of speculation."
BONUS: Dog Day at Castaway Cove Water Park