KANSAS CITY, KANSAS (CBS) — Kansas City, Kansas police say a 12-year-old boy died on a popular water slide at a local water park Sunday, CBS affiliate KCTV reported.
Police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said the boy died Sunday at the Schlitterbahn Water Park. Morgan said he does not yet know the circumstances of the death.
Police said the young boy died while riding the Verrückt ride, which uses the German word for “insane” in its title, and which Guinness Book of World Records calls the world’s tallest water slide. According to the park’s website, a three person raft slides down a “jaw dropping” 168 foot 7 inch structure.
After the initial massive drop, riders are then “blasted back up a second massive hill and then sent down yet another gut wrenching 50 foot drop for the ultimate in water slide thrills,” the description on the website explains.
The website says the two to three riders per raft must have a combined weight between 400 and 550 pounds. Riders must also be at least 54 inches tall.
In a media briefing Sunday afternoon, a spokeswoman for Schlitterbahn said the park’s rides are inspected every day and are checked by independent inspection agencies at the beginning of the season, KCTV reported.
The park was cleared following the accident and closed while investigators from multiple agencies arrived on scene.
Water park officials say Schlitterbahn will be closed Monday. Subsequently, the Verrückt is closed pending a full investigation.
