Wikipedia

Verrückt

This article is about the water slide. For the 2012 song by German band Eisbrecher, see Verrückt (song).

Verrückt (German meaning "crazy" or "insane", listenⓘ) was a custom water coaster water slide located at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. At the height of 168 feet 7 inches (51.38 m), Verrückt became the world's tallest water slide when it opened on July 10, 2014, surpassing Kilimanjaro at Aldeia das Águas Park Resort in Brazil. The ride was designed at the park, led by John Schooley with assistance from park co-owner Jeff Henry. It was featured on an episode of Xtreme Waterparks on the Travel Channel in June 2014, shortly before the ride opened.[a] Verrückt permanently closed in 2016 following a fatal incident involving the decapitation of Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old son of Kansas state legislator (and later Secretary of State of Kansas) Scott Schwab.[4]

Verrückt
Verrückt, as seen from Interstate 435
Schlitterbahn Kansas City
Coordinates39°07′15″N 94°48′23″W / 39.1209°N 94.8064°W / 39.1209; -94.8064
StatusRemoved
Cost$3.6 million[1]
Opening dateJuly 10, 2014 (2014-07-10)
Closing dateAugust 7, 2016 (2016-08-07)
General statistics
DesignerJeff Henry & John Schooley
ModelWater coaster
Height168 ft (51 m)
Speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Max vertical angle60°
Boats10[2] boats. Riders are arranged 1 across in 3 rows for a total of 3 riders per boat.
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)

Verrückt was originally scheduled to open in June 2013, but difficulties during various construction and safety testing stages resulted in several delays. Sandbags loaded into rafts during testing went airborne. The ride's final design made rafts reach a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).[5] Verrückt was well-received upon opening, winning a Golden Ticket Award from Amusement Today in 2014.

After Schwab's death, amusement park safety laws were updated to require state inspection of all attractions. It was later revealed that at least 13 other people had suffered non-fatal injuries from hitting the netting above the slide. Criminal charges led to the arrests of several individuals, including Schooley and Henry. The charges were ultimately dismissed with the finding of multiple procedural issues with the case's presentation by the Kansas Attorney General. The incident's aftermath, however, resulted in a rapid decline in Schlitterbahn's reputation and financial standing, resulting in the park's closure in September 2018. Verrückt was dismantled two months later.

History

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Background

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Original plans for Schlitterbahn Kansas City, the first Schlitterbahn Waterparks site outside Texas, called for a $750 million complex including hotels and resort areas. Officials in Wyandotte County, Kansas, where it was to be built, were delighted when the company announced the plans in 2005, seeing this as the culmination of efforts to draw residents of the Kansas City metropolitan area to spend their disposable income in Kansas rather than Missouri. State legislators from the area passed a law allowing Schlitterbahn to self-inspect its attractions without state oversight as it did in Texas, unlike all other amusement parks in Kansas, which were subject to state inspection.[3]

However, the complete plans never came to fruition. Two years later, the Great Recession forced many amusement park operators, including Schlitterbahn, to scale back their plans and focus on making their existing parks profitable in the challenging economy. Schlitterbahn Kansas City was reduced to a $180 million park without lodging and was not open for an entire season until 2010. It was successful, but not to the degree Schlitterbahn and co-owner Jeff Henry had initially expected.[3]

Construction

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In November 2012, Schlitterbahn announced plans to create the world's tallest and fastest water slide at its Kansas City park, to open in mid-2013.[6] No name was given during the announcement, while specifications on the height of the ride were kept secret to ensure that the completed ride would set a world record for its creation.[7]

The water slide was spontaneously conceived by Henry at a trade show after a team from Travel Channel's Xtreme Waterparks asked what he was working on.[8] Initial attempts to pitch the idea to vendors at the show failed,[2] so Henry decided to build the slide himself,[9] enlisting John Schooley as the ride's lead designer.[3][10] Henry had described the new ride to the Travel Channel crew as a "speed blaster", a term he had likewise improvised. He and Schooley knew that Schlitterbahn had to live up to the hype Henry had created and design something previously unheard of. "Basically we were crazy enough to try anything", Schooley recalled.[3]

Henry pressed his design team to complete the ride faster than usual, forcing many staff to work almost constantly. Calculations that normally required three to six months were completed in five weeks. As they began testing, rafts repeatedly went airborne on the ride's large bottom hump.[3][11]

In November 2013, the ride was officially named Verrückt, the German word for crazy or insane, with the opening date pushed back until the start of the park's 2014 season.[12][13] The Guinness Book of World Records named Verrückt the world's tallest water slide in April 2014, before it was even finished.[3] At 168 feet 7 inches (51.38 m),[14] it surpassed Kilimanjaro at Aldeia das Águas Park Resort in Brazil.[15] When the park opened, delays in construction and testing of the ride led to its opening date being pushed back to June 5,[16] and then June 29, after the lower portion of the ride was rebuilt, to coincide with a television special about the ride;[17] the park later canceled this opening date and two days of media previews following further delays.[18]

An unnamed lifeguard at the park told Esquire magazine in 2019 that the park primarily conducted some of the later tests after operating hours, with only select employees – usually those who had been with the company for the longest – allowed to watch. He further stated, "The only time I saw the slide run successfully was on the Travel Channel episode, but I wouldn't even call that successful", he recalled, because the raft in that case got stuck on the second hump. Sandbags on the raft frequently went airborne at that point, as in some leaked viral videos. "I told my friends and family it was only a matter of time until someone died on Verrückt", the lifeguard said.[3]

A safety consultant hired by the park shortly before Verrückt's scheduled opening told Henry it was unfinished and unsafe. When complete, he recommended that only riders aged 16 and over be allowed on the ride. Henry, who had no formal engineering education, decided age 14 was better. Just before the opening, however, he eliminated the age limit.[3]

Operation

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Verrückt was eventually completed and officially opened on July 10,[19] attracting national media coverage. Among the first riders was then-Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. The riders who had seen the videos of 110-pound (50 kg) sandbags flying off the rafts went on anyway. One local judge told Esquire later that she rode the water slide ten times that day, and an employee who had loaded the sandbags during testing said he went down twenty times over its first two days. "That should tell you something about how I felt about it," he said. However, Henry and Schooley, while watching riders that day, noted how many rafts seemed to be going airborne on the lower hump into the emergency netting meant to keep them on the slide.[3]

Two months later, Verrückt was voted the world's "Best New Waterpark Ride" at the 2014 Golden Ticket Awards.[20] However, at least thirteen riders suffered non-fatal injuries, such as concussions or slipped and herniated discs – many of which had long-term effects – after either hitting the netting or being thrown into it. After a Missouri man thrown from the raft suffered facial injuries in June 2016, the park's operations manager allegedly attempted to cover up the incident, telling lifeguards what to write in their reports; it is believed that this happened with other accidents.[3]

Even some uninjured riders were unnerved by Verrückt. A Kansas City man who had made a point of riding due to favorable experiences with the Texas Schlitterbahn parks recalled having to grab the raft's auxiliary straps when the Velcro straps holding him came loose after the first drop; he was thankful that his son had used the weight limit as an excuse not to ride. A local woman whose boyfriend held her in the raft likewise noted to Esquire that the netting and hoops on the lower hump showed signs of many human collisions.[3]

Design

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Verrückt was designed to consist of two drops, the initial being a 17-story plunge, with a five-story uphill midsection.[2] The ride was designed to accommodate three-person rafts, each weighing 100 pounds (45 kg) and carried up by conveyor to the top of the slide, while riders climbed 264 steps to the top.[21] To prevent the rafts from lifting off the slide, rider groups were weighed twice – once at the bottom and again at the top before riding – to ensure a combined weight between 400 pounds (180 kg) and 550 pounds (250 kg), and that single riders are below 300 pounds (140 kg).[14][22]

The starting point of the ride, at 168 feet (51 m), was taller than either Niagara Falls or the foot-to-torch portion of the Statue of Liberty.[15] Because it was beyond the 120 feet (37 m) that zoning codes permitted, the design required a variance. The height was increased from its initial plan of 148 feet (45 m), which was also above the limit.[5] After the announcement of the ride's height and the certification of its world record on April 25, 2014, Schlitterbahn tore down most of the lower part of the ride, to rebuild and re-engineer it because sandbags had flown off the ride during testing. As a result, the second drop was changed from 45 degrees to 22 degrees, an extra 5 feet (1.5 m) was added to the uphill portion of the ride to slow the rafts,[23][24] and a series of metal hoops supporting netting were added into areas where rafts had flown off in early testing.[5]

Fatal incident

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On August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old son of Kansas state representative Scott Schwab, died while riding Verrückt. The raft he was riding went airborne during the ascent of the second hump and struck a metal support of the netting, decapitating him.[3][25][26] The other two passengers, both women, were injured in the incident – one suffered a broken jaw, while the other suffered a facial bone fracture and needed stitches.[27] In the immediate aftermath, Schlitterbahn Kansas City was closed pending an inspection.[25][28] Although the park reopened three days later, the ride remained closed.[27][29][30]

Reportedly, Caleb, who weighed 74 pounds (34 kg), had been allowed to sit in the front of the raft rather than between the two women accompanying him – one weighed 275 pounds (125 kg), while the other weighed 197 pounds (89 kg).[31] This created an uneven weight distribution, which some experts concluded may have contributed to the raft going airborne. However, the total weight of 546 pounds (248 kg) was less than the maximum recommended weight of 550 pounds (250 kg).[31] Engineers who inspected the ride also commented that the ride's netting, used in areas where riders travel up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h), "posed its own hazard because a rider moving at high speeds could easily lose a limb if they hit it".[5] Their findings revealed that the use of the metal brace and netting system in the design,[10] along with the use of hook and loop straps to restrain the riders,[32] violated guidelines set by ASTM F-24 Committee on Amusement Ride and Devices.[33] According to the guidelines, Verrückt should have incorporated rigid over-the-shoulder restraints for riders[32] and an upstop mechanism to prevent the rafts from going airborne.[34]

Aftermath

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After Scott Schwab spoke to his fellow legislators about his son's death and its effect on him, they voted to change the law that had allowed Schlitterbahn to self-inspect, requiring that the state regularly inspect all the state's amusement park attractions.[3] In November 2016, Schlitterbahn announced that Verrückt would be demolished following the conclusion of a criminal investigation.[35][36] The Schwab family settled with several involved parties, including Schlitterbahn, for approximately US$20 million in early 2017.[37] Settlements involving the other two riders injured in the accident were undisclosed.[37]

In July 2018, a judge approved a plan by the park to disassemble Verrückt beginning the following September.[38][39] The ride's teardown was placed on hold indefinitely in August 2018, resulting from ongoing discussions in multiple court cases that were filed after the incident.[40] The park eventually began dismantling the ride in November 2018,[41] and the work to remove the ride was completed within two months.[3] The park did not operate the following season, and Schlitterbahn's reputation and finances were negatively impacted.[37] Two of the company's water parks in Texas were sold in June 2019 for $261 million to Cedar Fair, a major owner of amusement parks nationwide, including Kansas City, Missouri's Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.[37][42]

Criminal charges

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On March 23, 2018, a grand jury issued an indictment against Schlitterbahn and Tyler Austin Miles, former director of operations, charging them with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, aggravated child endangerment, and interference with law enforcement.[10][43][44] The indictment accused the park of negligence, concealing design flaws, and downplaying the severity of previous injuries reported on the ride.[45][10]

The 2018 indictment against Schlitterbahn wrote that Jeff Henry and John Schooley "lacked technical expertise to design a properly functioning water slide" and did not perform standard engineering procedures or calculations on how the slide would operate. Instead, they used "crude trial-and-error methods" to test its performance out of haste to launch the ride.[10] According to court documents, Schooley conceded that, "If we actually knew how to do this, and it could be done that easily, it wouldn't be that spectacular."[46]

Three days later, on March 26, Henry was arrested in Cameron County, Texas, in connection with the incident.[47] One day later, on March 27, the Kansas Attorney General's office released a new indictment against Henry, Schooley, and Henry & Sons Construction Company — privately owned by Schlitterbahn — charging them with second-degree murder in addition to seventeen other felonies.[2][48][49][50] Schooley was arrested at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after returning from a trip to China on April 2, 2018.[51] The defendants were arraigned in April 2018,[52] and the first criminal trial began in October.[53]

On February 22, 2019, criminal charges were dismissed against Henry, Schooley, and Miles because inadmissible evidence had been presented to the grand jury.[54][55][56] The judge's ruling reprimanded state attorneys for presenting the Xtreme Waterparks episode to jurors as fact, instead of as a "fictional and dramatized version of events created for entertainment purposes,"[57] and expert witnesses for claiming that the designers of the slide were negligent in not following ASTM standards, though the law at the time did not require that those standards be followed.[58][59]

Notes

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  1. ^ As of 2019, the episode, and any mention of it or Verrückt, has been deleted from the Travel Channel's website.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Powell, William (August 27, 2014). "The World's Tallest Water Slide Is Insane". Outside Online. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "State of Kansas v. Jeffrey Wayne Henry, John Timothy Schooley, Henry & Sons Construction Company" (PDF). Wyandotte County, Kansas. March 21, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bella, Timothy (January 29, 2019). "How a Freak Accident Happens". Esquire. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  4. ^ Hollandsworth, Skip. "Schlitterbahn's Tragic Slide". Texas Monthly.
  5. ^ a b c d Vockrodt, Steve; Canon, Scott; Bergen, Katy. "The making of Schlitterbahn's Verruckt water slide: Too much, too fast?". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017.
  6. ^ "World's tallest water coaster coming to Schlitterbahn Kansas City". Amusement Today. November 20, 2012. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  7. ^ Stagemeyer, Suzanna (November 14, 2012). "Schlitterbahn announces cryptic plans for record-breaking waterslide in Kansas City, Kan. – Kansas City Business Journal". Kansas City Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  8. ^ Curtis, Bryan (September 10, 2014). "The Wet Stuff". Grantland. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  9. ^ Herndon, Astead (June 26, 2014). "World's tallest water slide finally open | CNN Travel". CNN Travel. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d e Vockrodt, Steve; Rizzo, Tony; Baurer, Laura; Rice, Glenn E. (March 23, 2018). "Schlitterbahn corporation, ex-manager indicted in Verruckt water slide death". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  11. ^ Geiling, Natasha (July 28, 2014). "How Do You Build the World's Tallest Water Slide?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  12. ^ Zimmerman, Neetzan. "The World's Tallest Waterslide Looks as Terrifying As It Sounds". Gawker. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  13. ^ Rizzo, Tom; Darby, Adam. "Verruckt, the world's tallest and fastest water slide, is taking shape in KCK". The Wichita Eagle. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  14. ^ a b "All NEW Verruckt | Schlitterbahn Kansas City Water Park". www.schlitterbahn.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  15. ^ a b Janela, Mike (May 5, 2014). "Meet Verrückt: the world's new tallest water slide". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on May 10, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  16. ^ McCallister, Laura. "Schlitterbahn's Verruckt 'not behaving properly'". KCTV. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  17. ^ Foster, Brian. "World's tallest water slide to open in late June". KMBC. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  18. ^ Arnett, Dugan (June 27, 2016). "After third delay, no new opening date for Schlitterbahn's Verrückt (with new POV video)". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  19. ^ Eveld, Edward (July 9, 2014). "Schlitterbahn:First riders on Verrückt at Schlitterbahn love the 'rush' (with video)". The Kansas City Star. The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  20. ^ "Park and ride winners". Amusement Today. September 2014. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  21. ^ "Schlitterbahn cancels media preview of world's tallest water slide". KMBC. June 26, 2014. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  22. ^ Draper, Bill (August 8, 2016). "AP first-person account of riding the Verruckt, the world's tallest waterslide". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  23. ^ "Opening of world's tallest water slide delayed". USA Today. Associated Press. June 27, 2014. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  24. ^ Laresse, Steve (July 7, 2014). "Verruckt: Designer of tallest slide takes the plunge". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  25. ^ a b Calvo, Amanda; Chan, Melissa (August 9, 2016). "What We Know About the Young Boy Decapitated on the World's Tallest Water Slide". Time. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  26. ^ Raine, Naja (August 9, 2016). "Caleb Schwab, 10, Decapitated in Water Slide Accident, Police Confirm". People. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  27. ^ a b Graflage, Stephanie; Pulley, Mary (August 8, 2016). "KCK police release details about water park tragedy; pastor provides statement on 10-year-old boy killed". WDAF. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016.
  28. ^ Shapiro, Emily (August 9, 2016). "Kansas Waterpark to Reopen Wednesday After Boy's Death". ABC News.
  29. ^ Campbell, Matt; Cronkleton, Robert; Adler, Eric (August 7, 2016). "Son of Kansas lawmaker dies on Verrückt slide at Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kan". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  30. ^ Olen, Helaine (August 8, 2016). "A Boy Died on This Water Slide—in One of the Many States That Barely Ensure That Rides Are Safe". Slate. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016.
  31. ^ a b West, Tara. "Verruckt Waterslide Death Result Of Poor Weight Distribution? Experts Say Caleb Schwab Should Have Been In Center Seat". Insquistr. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016.
  32. ^ a b "State of Kansas v. Tyler Austin Miles, Schlitterbahn Waterpark of Kansas City, Kansas". March 28, 2018. pp. 16–17. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018. According to ASTM, hook-and-loop material should never be used as a safety device on an amusement ride. The correct restraint system for a ride like Verrückt would be a Class 5 restraint consisting of rigid overhead shoulder bars with a locking lap restraint.
  33. ^ "ASTM International". www.waterparks.org. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  34. ^ "State of Kansas v. Tyler Austin Miles, Schlitterbahn Waterpark of Kansas City, Kansas". March 28, 2018. p. 16. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018. The rafts were designed and constructed without any "upstop" mechanisms to prevent rafts from going airborne. Upstop mechanisms have been used for decades and are standard safety features in the amusement ride industry.
  35. ^ Rothfield, Ariel (November 23, 2016). "Schlitterbahn Kansas City announces Verruckt water slide to be removed after child death in August". 41 Action News Staff. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016.
  36. ^ Porter, Toriano; Bauer, Laura. "Schlitterbahn will close Verrückt water slide where 10-year-old boy was killed". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  37. ^ a b c d Chavez, Jon (June 13, 2019). "Cedar Fair reaches deal to acquire Schlitterbahn water parks in Texas". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  38. ^ Vockrodt, Steve; Fox, Lauren (July 12, 2018). "Schlitterbahn to tear down Verruckt water slide in KCK where young boy died in 2016". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  39. ^ Romo, Vanessa (July 12, 2018). "Court Grants Permission To Destroy World's Tallest Waterslide". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  40. ^ KWCH (August 24, 2018). "Plans to tear down water slide where boy died on hold". Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  41. ^ "Demolition begins on Schlitterbahn's Verruckt". Kansas City Business Journal. www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  42. ^ Evans, Matt. "Cedar Fair, parent company of Worlds of Fun, purchases Texas Schlitterbahn waterparks, with rights to KCK property". KMBC-9 News Staff. KMBC-9. Archived from the original on June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  43. ^ "State of Kansas v. Tyler Austin Miles, Schlitterbahn Waterpark of Kansas City, Kansas". Wyandotte County, Kansas. March 28, 2018. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  44. ^ Phillips, Kristine (March 25, 2018). "A boy was decapitated on a waterslide. The park knew the ride could kill people, officials say". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  45. ^ Koch, Makenzie (March 23, 2018). "Court documents detail alleged negligence in design of Schlitterbahn water slide that killed 10-year-old". fox4kc.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  46. ^ Barnes, Tom (March 24, 2018). "Designers of water slide that decapitated boy 'had no technical qualifications'". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018. A total of 11 people suffered injuries, including slipped spinal disks, whiplash, broken toes and lacerations on the ride in the period between when it became operational in July 2014 and the day of the fatal crash.
  47. ^ Vockrodt, Steve (March 26, 2018). "Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry arrested in Texas on Verruckt-related charges". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  48. ^ Vockrodt, Steve; Rizzo, Tony (March 27, 2018). "Schlitterbahn executives charged with second-degree murder in Verruckt case". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  49. ^ Hanna, John (March 27, 2018). "Park owner, slide designer charged with murder in boy's waterpark death". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  50. ^ Brocchetto, Marilia; Gray, Melissa (March 27, 2018). "Kansas water park executives charged with murder in boy's death". CNN. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  51. ^ Cronkleton, Robert A.; Vockrodt, Steve (April 6, 2018). "Schlitterbahn's Verruckt designer John Schooley arrested in Dallas". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  52. ^ Vockrodt, Steve (April 6, 2018). "Lawyer for Verruckt designer Schooley: 'Weight of evidence in this case...is weak'".
  53. ^ "First trial begins in Schlitterbahn tragedy". WIBW. October 15, 2018. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  54. ^ "Judge dismisses charges over boy's death on Schlitterbahn's Verruckt". San Antonio Express-News. Associated Press. February 22, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019. The Kansas City Star reports that Wyandotte County Judge Robert Burns found Friday that state prosecutors showed grand jurors inadmissible evidence in dismissing second-degree murder charges against Schlitterbahn owner Jeff Henry and designer John Schooley. The judge also dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against operations manager Tyler Miles.
  55. ^ "State of Kansas vs. Jeff Henry, John Schooley, Henry & Sons, Tyler Miles, KC Waterpark Management (Motion to Dismiss)" (PDF). District Court of Wyandotte County, Kansas.
  56. ^ "In the District Court of Wyandotte County, Kansas Criminal Court Department" (PDF). Wyandotte County District Court. February 22, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  57. ^ Fortin, Jacey (February 24, 2019). "Judge Dismisses Charges in Boy's Decapitation on 170-Foot-Tall Water Slide". The New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  58. ^ Vockrodt, Steve; Shorman, Jonathan (February 22, 2018). "Schlitterbahn charges tossed. Judge says Kansas AG 'irreparably tainted' grand jury". Kansas City Star. The Wichita Eagle, contributor. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  59. ^ Chappell, Bill (February 25, 2019). "Judge Dismisses Murder Charges Over Boy's Death On Kansas Waterslide". National Public Radio. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
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