Schlitterbahn to tear down Verruckt water slide in KCK where young boy died in 2016

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Schlitterbahn to tear down Verruckt water slide in KCK where young boy died in 2016

BY STEVE VOCKRODT AND LAUREN FOX

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July 12, 2018 05:18 PM

Updated July 12, 2018 06:48 PM

The Verruckt water slide, a 17-story reminder of the horrific death of a 10-year-old boy in 2016, is expected to come down shortly after Labor Day. ... “It’s about time,” said David Alvey, Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., mayor.

An attorney representing an affiliate of Schlitterbahn, the Texas company that built a water park in western Wyandotte County, said on Thursday that the company plans to begin tearing down the slide about a week after Labor Day. Labor Day is the last day that Schlitterbahn is open for the 2018 season.

“I think we are all in agreement that the slide can come down,” said Melanie Morgan, who is representing KC Waterpark Management LLC, an affiliated corporate entity of Schlitterbahn. “We’re prepared to make arrangements for that to happen.” ... The process, Morgan said, is “fairly complicated” and is expected to take three weeks.

Morgan announced the plan to tear down Verruckt during a court hearing on Thursday involving several Schlitterbahn employees who face criminal charges in the 2016 death of Caleb Schwab.

[MuseRider]

1. Thank goodness.

I drive passed that so often and it gives me the creeps. I can only imagine how the child's family and friends must feel.

[kcr]

2. I'm surprised it's still up

I would have thought they would have torn it down immediately to cover their asses.

[exboyfil]

3. The problem with it was the second rise

Given the issues they had when testing it, I am surprised they ever allowed paying customers on it. The second rise effectively acts as a launch point. No way you could ever handle all the variables to assure that you would never get lift off. They would have been better off not having catch baskets around it given the speed involved.

[dembotoz]

4. as we push the envelope for more exciting experience stuff like this will happen

you can drown in a wading pool you don't need a huge vertical drop to push you along the way.

[highplainsdem]

5. Good.