Caleb Schwab was just 10 years old when a family day at a Kansas water park ended in unimaginable tragedy.
On August 7, 2016, Caleb was riding Verrückt at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas — an attraction that stood nearly 170 feet tall and was once certified as the world’s tallest waterslide.
Heard several loud booms
What happened at the end of the ride was horrific. And one witness later described the disturbing scene, including the moment a lifeguard tried to keep people away from what had happened.
Caleb had been riding the massive slide in a multi-person raft with two women who were not related to him.
According to witness Esteban Castaneda, he suddenly heard several loud booms coming from the area of the attraction.
Then he saw the raft come down the slide.
But something else followed.
Castaneda told ABC News that he saw a body wash down the slide directly after the raft. At first, he believed someone might be lying face down in the water and rushed toward the area to help.
That was when he noticed a lifeguard attempting to push the gathering crowd back.
Castaneda continued trying to get closer, believing there might still be someone who needed help. But the lifeguard told him there was nothing he could do.
It was then that Castaneda realized just how devastating the accident had been.
He said Caleb appeared to have been decapitated. The horrific account matched what authorities later described as a fatal neck injury sustained at the end of the ride. The two women who had been riding with Caleb survived, suffering minor facial injuries.
Another troubling detail
Castaneda also revealed another troubling detail. He had ridden Verrückt himself earlier that day with his cousin’s 14-year-old daughter. According to him, she told him that the Velcro on her safety belt had come undone toward the end of the ride.
Verrückt — whose name means “insane” in German — was unlike an ordinary waterslide. Riders were sent down the enormous structure in multi-person rafts, reaching speeds reported to be around 70 mph. The attraction had 264 stairs leading to the top.
For Caleb’s family, however, none of those records mattered anymore.
His older brother Nathan witnessed the accident and later told his parents what had happened. Caleb’s father, Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, remembered speaking to his son moments before the ride.
“Brothers stick together,” Scott told him.
Caleb replied, “I know, Dad.”
Those were the last words Scott ever heard from his little boy.
It was 12-year-old Nathan who remained at the bottom of the slide after the unimaginable happened.
He was the one who went back to his parents and told them that something had happened to Caleb.
“He was screaming, ‘He flew from the Verruckt, he flew from the Verruckt,’” Caleb’s mother, Michelle Schwab, later recalled.
For his mother, the horror of what happened was almost impossible to comprehend. A man at the scene tried to keep her from getting closer, repeatedly warning her not to look.
“There was a gentleman who wouldn’t allow me to come close enough to see what was going on, and he just kept saying, ‘Trust me, you don’t want to go any further,’” Michelle recalled.
“I kind of knew in my mind that I shouldn’t see it, that I probably don’t want to see it.”
Remembering Caleb
Caleb’s family later described him as a loving child who enjoyed sports, his family and his faith.
The Schwab family lovingly called Caleb “Monkeybear,” a nickname that reflected just how much he loved to cuddle and snuggle. A family spokesperson said he was known as a hugger and deeply loved his parents.
The tragedy prompted intense scrutiny of Verrückt and how the attraction had been designed and operated. Criminal charges were eventually brought against the park’s owner and designer, although those charges were later dismissed.
The ride was permanently closed after Caleb’s death and was eventually dismantled. The family later received nearly $20 million in settlements from companies involved in the case. A GoFundMe fundraiser set up to help the family also brought in $35,000 in donations.
But no settlement could ever bring Caleb back.
He was only 10 years old, with his whole life ahead of him.
The pain caused by such a devastating loss is impossible to put into words. Parents, siblings, grandparents, and everyone who loved him will carry this heartbreak with them for the rest of their lives.
I can only hope that, with time, they find a way to make peace with the memories, carry his love with them, and slowly find a path toward healing and recovery.
Rest in peace, Caleb.
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