10-year-old dies on world's tallest water slide


A 10-year-old boy died Sunday on the tallest water slide in the world at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
A spokesperson for the park said it's unclear if Caleb Schwab fell from the 17-story Verrückt (German for "crazy") slide or was on it when he was killed. "We honestly don't know what's happened," Winter Prosapio, corporate director of communications for Schlitterbahn, said. "That's why a full investigation is necessary. We have to understand what's happened. … To be honest, this is not something we've experienced."
Schwab's father, Scott Schwab, is a state representative from Olathe, the Kansas City Star reports, and it was elected officials day at the park. Verrückt riders must be at least 54 inches tall, and are strapped into a three-person raft that hits speeds of 60 to 70 mph. The slide is covered by netting, with the chute dropping 168 feet. The water park will remain closed Monday.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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