Should the Schlitterbahn Verruckt, the world’s tallest water slide, be reopened following a fatal accident on Sunday?
Several residents were asked that question before the town hall meeting started tonight at Eisenhower Recreation Center, 2901 N. 72nd, Kansas City, Kan.
The water slide will be closed for the rest of this season, Schlitterbahn announced today. Plans were not announced today for next season. Parts of the Schlitterbahn water park will reopen to guests at noon Wednesday.
“After further inspections and making some changes, I think it should be allowed,” Dixie Kaster said. “It needs to be tested more.”
She added her grandkids have gone down the water slide and never had any problems.
A resident who didn’t want her name to be used said, “No. Somebody lost their child. I don’t think so.”
Another resident, Sandy Brewer, said, “It should be reopened, but you should be 21 to ride it.”
Donna Ready, a resident, said there have been thousands of people who have gone down the slide, and she thinks this was just a freak accident. “I feel bad for the family,” she added.
Rala Mahdi, a resident, said, “I’ve never been out there, and don’t plan on going there, and if I went I wouldn’t ride that. They need more safety features.” She mentioned a seat belt with a metal clamp. “They need to be on top of safety.”
Lou Braswell said the water slide has been operating for two years and this has been the first real accident. “Maybe they need to change their guidelines,” she said. She added she would still go to the water park, but she wouldn’t ride the Verruckt.
If we closed everything that had death associated with, everything would eventually be closed. Heck, The Legends itself would be closed (I recall a shooting in the parking lot in its early years). The ride should be reopened, right after they (Schlitterbahn and/or their insurers) pay millions to the Schwab family and the ride goes through a lot of safety checks, redesigns, etc. Why not make the slide completely enclosed? And an age/size restriction needs to be enforced. Just a few thoughts. My prayers are with the Schwab family.
A shooting at a water park is hardly comparable or even remotely related to this tragedy. And if you have to measure someone’s torso, chest, shoulders,etc I don’t think it’s very safe, especially for children who cant make these kind of safety calls on their own,such as, whether a stupid velcro strap is properly put on, which I can’t BELIEVE was what they used to harness people. Glad all the others made it down fine, but what happens once can happen again.
We shall have to disagree on whether this ride can or should eventually reopen. And that is ok that we disagree.
Adding to my statement that I wouldn’t ride the Verruckt…I knew from day 1, when a diagram of the ride was presented, that I would NOT ride it. But those who have, enjoyed the “thrill” of height, speed and water. I am sure that it restrictions are being revisited before reopening the ride next season.
I think it s/b reopened but age s/b 18 or older – I think the weight s/b evenly distributed, I can’t see if 2 people’s weight may be close to the limit, then let this little kid even it out to the weight limit. I also think they should have some kind of better strap & have additional material in place where this strap is located. It was a freak accident & hopefully nothing like it happens again. There is nothing that can ease the grief that the family is going thru but I just think more testing needs to be done.
When you’re inviting, and advertising a facility as child safe, it’s misrepresentation to then allow a child the choice to ride something otherwise. In my opinion this is pathetically negligent of Schlitterbahn.
Just driving down State Ave and looking at Verruckt from afar the ride didn’t pass the eye test as something safe. The basic laws of gravitational physics were ignored with its construction, and for what? Money? A beautiful child is gone. An unimaginable loss has happened. Lives changed for ever. We should all take some responsibility for not speaking up, at what surely didn’t pass the eye test. Incredibly painful, and equally disturbing as a society.
I feel the failure of the Verruckt has been a tragedy waiting to happen, and I wonder if the engineers who designed the ride would encourage their family members to ride it. I believe it should be taken down and the site covered over. The park could then build a facility for those thrill seekers who could still experience the actions of a 17-story 70 mph water slide using virtual reality which would be safe for anyone.