Horrifying final moments of boy, 10, decapitated on world's tallest water slide

Caleb Schwab died on the Verruckt water slide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kan., in August 2016. The first criminal trial associated with the case has begun. (Keith Myers/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) (Image: Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Young Caleb Schwab was just 10 years old when his life was tragically cut short under heartbreaking circumstances.

The youngster was enjoying a day at a water park when catastrophe struck. As he climbed into a water raft, like countless other thrill-seekers before him, he had no idea that these would be his last moments alive.

Caleb was riding the world's tallest water slide at Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City when he was decapitated mid-air in a horrifying accident. The slide, named Verruckt - which translates to "insane" in German - featured multi-person rafts that plummeted down a massive 168-foot drop at speeds of up to 70 mph, followed by an ascent up a hill and a 50-foot descent into a pool.

When the raft became airborne during the ascent of the ride's second hill at the water park, Caleb collided with a metal support beam in the netting, resulting in his decapitation. The young boy lost his life on the attraction in 2016, just two years after its inauguration.

"Six went to the park and five came back," said Caleb's heartbroken father, who served as a politician in the US at the time. Scott and Michelle Schwab, who took their four sons to the water park, recalled the final moments before Caleb and his 12-year-old brother Nathan ascended to the top of the 170-foot slide.

"Before they took off I said, 'Brothers stick together' and [Caleb] said, 'I know, dad,'" Scott recalled. Nathan was the first to descend the slide, waiting for Caleb at the bottom.

Verruckt (Image: Caters)

"[Nathan] was screaming, 'He flew from Verrückt, he flew Verrückt,'" recounted Caleb's mother Michelle Schwab. Despite her desperate attempts to reach the scene, a man blocked her path.

Scott described his state of disbelief. "I just need to hear you say it. Is my son dead?" he remembered asking someone.

"And he said, 'Yes, your son is dead.' It was surreal. I don't even remember driving home."

Two other passengers sharing the raft, both women, were injured in the incident – one suffered a broken jaw, while the other endured a facial bone fracture requiring stitches. Caleb, who weighed 34kg, was positioned at the front of the raft when it lifted off.

The two women weighed 125kg and 89kg, respectively, resulting in an uneven weight distribution in the raft. The total weight was 248kg, falling short of the recommended weight of 250kg.

Riders, who are required to be at least 54 inches tall, are secured with two nylon seatbelt-like straps – one crossing the rider's lap and the other extending diagonally, similar to a car shoulder seatbelt. Each strap is fastened by long Velcro-style straps, not buckles.

Riders grasp ropes within the raft. The incident sparked widespread concern over the lack of safety regulations in the US state.

The ride (Image: undefined)

Engineers who assessed the attraction noted that the ride's netting, utilised in areas where participants can reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, "created its own danger because a rider travelling at high speeds could easily lose a limb if they struck it". Nevertheless, the ride's designer, Jeff Henry, remained committed to constructing the "fastest, tallest water slide in the world" - despite possessing no engineering qualifications.

Jeff, the son of Bob, one of the water park franchise's founders, was instrumental in creating the water slides. According to colleagues who worked alongside him, Jeff was notorious for his unwavering conviction that he was "thought he was always right" and his fixation with breaking records through his attractions.

A park employee claimed at the time of the incident, "There was a lack of training for employees operating the rides. The only inspections we've done is people riding down slides one time, saying 'it's fine, you're good to go for the rest of the day'."

Documentary footage from The Water Slide exposed a raft becoming airborne during preliminary trials of the attraction.

In one segment, Jeff can be heard commenting: "It fell backwards and killed every sand bag in there."

Despite safety worries causing the postponement of its launch, the attraction eventually welcomed visitors on July 10, 2014.

The completed design saw rafts achieving velocities of 70mph whilst towering at an imposing 168 feet 7 inches.

Following the tragedy, Caleb's father Scott addressed his parliamentary colleagues regarding his son's fatal accident, campaigning for legislative reform that had permitted Schlitterbahn to conduct their own ride safety inspections.

In November 2016, Schlitterbahn declared that Verrückt would be demolished upon completion of criminal proceedings.

The Schwab family secured settlements with multiple parties, including Schlitterbahn, totalling approximately $20million in early 2017.

Settlement details concerning the other two casualties remained confidential.

The family now endeavours to progress whilst honouring Caleb's legacy.

10 year old Caleb Thomas Schwab has died on a waterslide - billed as the worlds tallest - at a park in Kansas. Speeds on the Verruckt, a 168-foot tall slide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, can reach as fast as 70 mph. (Image: KMBC.com)

"There are times where you're just like, 'I can't look at this,'" Scott reflected on archived footage they view of Caleb, "and there are other times when you can't sleep and you want to look at it."

Michelle revealed the family's profound longing for Caleb, particularly his embraces.

"Giving him hugs," she expressed, "hearing about his day, watching him play soccer, I mean, so much, so many things."

On 23 March 2018, a grand jury indicted Schlitterbahn and Tyler Austin Miles, the former director of operations, on charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, aggravated child endangerment, and interference with law enforcement. The indictment accused the park of negligence, concealing design flaws, and downplaying the severity of previous injuries reported on the ride.

The report also stated that Jeff Henry and John Schooley "lacked technical expertise to design a properly functioning water slide" and failed to carry out standard engineering procedures or calculations on the slide's operation.

However, on 22 February 2019, criminal charges against Henry and Schooley were dropped due to inadmissible evidence being presented to the grand jury. Although the park continues to operate, it is now under new management.