The father of Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old who died in a devastating accident on what was then the world's tallest waterslide in 2016, has shared the final words he spoke to his son before the tragedy.
What happened
Caleb died on 7 August 2016 while riding the Verrückt, a nearly 169-foot waterslide at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City. The Schwab family, prominent in Kansas's House of Representatives, were visiting the park on Elected Officials Day. Caleb rode the slide alongside his older brother Nathan and two sisters. An investigation later found that the raft he was riding became airborne partway down the slide, causing fatal injuries.
Caleb's brother Nathan witnessed the accident and had to relay what happened to their parents. Their mother, Michelle Schwab, recalled Nathan screaming that Caleb had flown off the ride, and described being kept from approaching the scene by a bystander who insisted she didn't want to see it.
Scott Schwab's final words to his son
Caleb's father, Scott Schwab, described the aftermath as surreal, saying he barely remembers the drive home afterward. He shared that just before Caleb went down the slide, he'd told him, "Brothers stick together," to which Caleb replied, "I know dad."
The park's response
Schlitterbahn issued a statement following the tragedy, saying it had never experienced anything like it in five decades of operation, and reaffirming its commitment to guest and staff safety, adding that its procedures remained under ongoing review.
Legal aftermath and documentary
A grand jury later brought second-degree murder charges against Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry and the ride's senior designer, John Schooley. Following lengthy legal proceedings, the Schwab family received settlements totalling nearly $20 million from the companies involved. The tragedy was later examined in a documentary, The World's Tallest Water Slide Was a Terrible, Tragic Idea, made by Missouri filmmaker Nathan Truesdell.
