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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the investigation in to the death of a boy killed while riding a waterslide in Kansas City, Kansas (all times local):
3:25 p.m.
Schlitterbahn WaterPark in Kansas has reopened except for a sprawling section including the "Verruckt" waterslide, where a 10-year-old boy was decapitated over the weekend.
Although the raft ride where the boy died was not open, its towering profile greeted visitors Wednesday as soon as they drove through the entrance.
Pulling a cooler behind her, 42-year-old Sara Craig said she was looking forward to an afternoon of water fun Wednesday with her 14-year-old son, Cale, and one of his 13-year-old friends.
But she said that she was feeling guilty when a family is hurting so badly.
She said the family rode Verruckt twice in one day a couple of weeks ago
Craig said that during her first trip down the ride with her son and one of his friends, her shoulder restraint came off, something she opted not to report to park workers.
So they rode it again, only to see the restraint on her son's friend also come loose by the time it was over.
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1:35 p.m.
A document released by a state agency says all the rides at a Kansas City, Kansas, water park passed private inspections in June, including the waterslide on which a 10-year-old boy died.
The Kansas Department of Labor provided to The Associated Press on Wednesday a copy of an insurance company inspector's June 7 letter saying inspections had been completed at Schlitterbahn Waterpark. The letter said all rides met guidelines for being insured with "no disqualifying conditions noted."
Deputy Secretary and Chief Attorney Brad Burke said the department obtained the letter following Sunday's death of Caleb Schwab on the "Verruckt" waterslide.
Kansas law requires permanent rides to be inspected annually by their parks, and the state randomly audits the records. The last records audit for Schlitterbahn was in June 2012.
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9:10 a.m.
A 10-year-old boy was decapitated as he rode a waterslide at a Kansas water park.
A person who is familiar with the investigation but is not authorized to speak about the boy's death told The Associated Press Wednesday that Caleb Schwab was decapitated Sunday on the "Verruckt" ride at the Schlitterbahn WaterPark in Kansas City, Kansas.
Caleb, the son of a Kansas lawmaker, was in a raft with two adults who were not related to him when he was killed on the 168-foot tall ride. The other two were treated for facial injuries.
A spokeswoman for the waterpark declined to discuss the circumstances of the boy's death.
"Verruckt" is German for insane.
(Associated Press writer Maria Sudekum contributed to this report)
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2 a.m.
At least two people who've ridden the waterslide on which a 10-year-old boy was killed over the weekend say shoulder straps snapped or popped off during the ride in Kansas City, Kansas.
Paul Oberhauser told local television station KCTV that the safety restraints on his raft on the Verruckt waterslide weren't working properly when he rode it on July 26 at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark.
The Nebraska man says his shoulder strap "busted loose" during the ride and he "just held on." A video shot by his wife shows it loose at the ride's end. He says he told workers about the loose strap.
Kenneth Conrad told WDAF-TV that he rode the waterslide last year with a friend whose shoulder strap came "completely off." Conrad's wife snapped a photo at the end of the ride showing the strap missing. Conrad says he didn't file a complaint with the park.
The park's spokeswoman didn't immediately return a message Tuesday from The Associated Press seeking comment on the claims.
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