Man visits abandoned water park where boy was decapitated on ‘world’s tallest water slide’

On 7 August 2016, Caleb Schwab visited the famed Schlitterbahn Water Park, home to the ‘world’s tallest waterslide’ with his family.

However, the day ended in tragedy as the 10-year-old faced instant death on the slide known for its 169-foot height and speeds of up to 70 miles per hour.

With the Verrückt attraction (meaning ‘insane’ in German) closed following the boy’s tragedy, the waterpark in Kansas City was eventually shut in September 2018.

But in November 2020, a YouTuber decided to take a tour of the abandoned site where some slides still remained in place.

Ethan Murphy shot footage of the rather eerie looking park walking along the tubes of disused slides and showed signs and posters still in place years later.

Caleb Schwab died instantly (Family Handout)

Caleb Schwab’s death

The boy’s family were visiting the park with free admission for ‘elected officials day’ when he and brother Nathan were excited to ride the Verrückt.

They promised their parents they’d stay together but in order to meet weight requirements for the ride’s rafts, the ride operators split the brothers up.

Caleb rode with two strangers but their fast speed saw him become airborne.

He was launched into a metal pole supporting a safety net and this caused him to be decapitated and killed on impact.

A judge ended up dismissing charges of second-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated endangering a child as the members of the grand jury were shown a made-for-TV video of the ride which was dramatised.

Caleb’s family received around $20 million in settlements, while the two other passengers on the raft with him also received undisclosed fees. While debt and the tragedy didn’t see the park closed until two years later, the Verrückt was permanently closed following the boy’s death and dismantled.

The abandoned Schlitterbahn Water Park

Part of a chain of waterparks, the Kansas City site opened in July 2009 with the Verrückt opening in 2014.

And after it was closed, it remained abandoned for a number of years, leaving Murphy the opportunity to get in and explore, documented on his YouTube channel Exploring the Abandoned.

His videos showed huge empty, dried-up and almost creepy water slides that he was able to walk along. As well as the abandoned shops and facilities.

Other spots showed an abandoned, filthy kitchen area with left behind equipment as well as a pirate ship climbing frame and train play area. There were also signs up for the eatery like a eerie ‘pick up order here’.

The water park was eventually demolished in 2021.