Kansas Lawmaker's Son Killed on Worlds Largest Water Slide
60 replies, posted
I can't imagine and hope to never know what it feels like to lose a child.
[QUOTE=AnnieOakley;50848459]I can't imagine and hope to never know what it feels like to lose a child.[/QUOTE]
Especially when the death is extremely preventable.
Like, if they're terminally ill, at least you know they had it coming.
But if they're 100% healthy and normal, and they end up getting killed on a water slide? That's preventable as fuck, which makes it all the more sad.
[QUOTE=Araknid;50847746]I hope he's mistaken and they didn't actually use velcro for the safety shit[/QUOTE]
You would WANT velcro in this situation. If for some reason the raft overturns in water with occupants strapped in, you want them to easily and quickly be able to remove the strap and get out instead of getting stuck trying to figure out how to unbuckle yourself while upside down in water and drowning.
Looking at that picture again, are those yellow objects in the bloody water tarps covering remains? That's pretty brutal. Especially since there are two separate ones.
[editline]8th August 2016[/editline]
There's also blood at the top of the hill which seems unusual if the accident happened on the way down from that hill. Maybe the collision with the net happened on the first free fall and everything just got pushed up the second hill? I can't imagine how traumatic that must've been for the other occupants of that raft... I feel for all those involved.
reminds me of rct2 when you build a dingie slide and flies off the track when you build it incorrectly
[QUOTE=OvB;50848971]Looking at that picture again, are those yellow objects in the bloody water tarps covering remains? That's pretty brutal. Especially since there are two separate ones.
[editline]8th August 2016[/editline]
There's also blood at the top of the hill which seems unusual if the accident happened on the way down from that hill. Maybe the collision with the net happened on the first free fall and everything just got pushed up the second hill? I can't imagine how traumatic that must've been for the other occupants of that raft... I feel for all those involved.[/QUOTE]
I pulled the image tag for the picture since I realized just now that the yellow was tarps. I didn't think about it last night like that. I'll leave the link though.
I have always found big water slides the most nerve-racking because of the unpredictability factor of loads, inattentive staff, and just the general "you're barely contained from flying off the side" aspect. Where as a coaster you are locked in, on something that is much more predictable.
I read an article on CNN that the front harness in the raft appeared to be loose when other passengers went on the ride prior to when Caleb went on the raft. The workers were told about this but didn't seem to listen or thought it was fine. There was also apparently no age restriction on the ride but a weight restriction as quote. [QUOTE] The slide requires two to three riders to be strapped in a raft with a total weight between 400 and 500 pounds.[/QUOTE] I can see there being a massive lawsuit after something like this happening and some policy changes such as an age restriction being put in place. I wonder if they have a person to come and check and make sure the riders are strapped in properly as well? It looks like he was way to short to be on the ride to me. Edit: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/07/us/kansas-schlitterbahn-water-park-child-death/[/url]
[editline]8th August 2016[/editline]
[QUOTE=MaximLaHaxim;50848666]Especially when the death is extremely preventable.
Like, if they're terminally ill, at least you know they had it coming.
But if they're 100% healthy and normal, and they end up getting killed on a water slide? That's preventable as fuck, which makes it all the more sad.[/QUOTE]
Not to mention the water park's negligence.
My parents never let me get on anything remotely close to that kind of ride when I was that age, i imagine his mom or dad, or both, feels terrible about allowing it. It doesn't matter if the employees say okay, that's not their kid.
[QUOTE=coldroll5;50850051]I read an article on CNN that the front harness in the raft appeared to be loose when other passengers went on the ride prior to when Caleb went on the raft. The workers were told about this but didn't seem to listen or thought it was fine. There was also apparently no age restriction on the ride but a weight restriction as quote. I can see there being a massive lawsuit after something like this happening and some policy changes such as an age restriction being put in place. I wonder if they have a person to come and check and make sure the riders are strapped in properly as well? It looks like he was way to short to be on the ride to me. Edit: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/07/us/kansas-schlitterbahn-water-park-child-death/[/url]
[editline]8th August 2016[/editline]
Not to mention the water park's negligence.[/QUOTE]
[quote]Caleb Schwab was riding with two adult women[/quote]
2 women and a little boy? I have a feeling that's not enough for 400 pounds
[QUOTE=Hillo;50854289]2 women and a little boy? I have a feeling that's not enough for 400 pounds[/QUOTE]
if each woman weighed a typical 150 lbs, the boy would only need to be 100 lbs
it's possible that there was a weight problem, but i'm more concerned about the supposedly loose straps
[QUOTE=bitches;50855455]if each woman weighed a typical 150 lbs, the boy would only need to be 100 lbs
it's possible that there was a weight problem, but i'm more concerned about the supposedly loose straps[/QUOTE]
150lbs is a lot for a woman, and 100lbs is a lot for small kid
[QUOTE=Hillo;50859423]150lbs is a lot for a woman, and 100lbs is a lot for small kid[/QUOTE]
he's american tho so that may explain his perspective
[URL="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kansas-water-park-where-caleb-schwab-died-reopen-wednesday-n626646"]The park's reopening today[/URL] and here's [URL="http://sandrarose.com/2016/08/caleb-schwab-10-decapitated-on-worlds-tallest-water-slide/"]an article[/URL] saying what apparently happened but I'm not sure how trustworthy it is.
[QUOTE=Griffster26;50861705][URL="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kansas-water-park-where-caleb-schwab-died-reopen-wednesday-n626646"]The park's reopening today[/URL] and here's [URL="http://sandrarose.com/2016/08/caleb-schwab-10-decapitated-on-worlds-tallest-water-slide/"]an article[/URL] saying what apparently happened but I'm not sure how trustworthy it is.[/QUOTE]
Well, considering that they have pictures to back what they say up, I'd trust it.
Oh, and I find it funny how the guy who voted against regulating big businesses ended up losing his child to something that could've been prevented by, well, regulating big businesses.
Of all the speculation about what happened, the part about the velcro straps is the least believable to me. I've used enough velcro to know that it works or it doesn't. If there was a problem with it it'd be the easiest thing in the world to demonstrate.
I can believe a weight issue, math is hard. You ever see a cashier struggle to make change without the use of a machine? I have. Imagine trusting your life to someone who has to calculate weights, no thanks.
A 12 year old and a 10 year old going on this ride with no parental supervision? There it is, where it went wrong.
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;50862124]Of all the speculation about what happened, the part about the velcro straps is the least believable to me. I've used enough velcro to know that it works or it doesn't. If there was a problem with it it'd be the easiest thing in the world to demonstrate.
I can believe a weight issue, math is hard. You ever see a cashier struggle to make change without the use of a machine? I have. Imagine trusting your life to someone who has to calculate weights, no thanks.
A 12 year old and a 10 year old going on this ride with no parental supervision? There it is, where it went wrong.[/QUOTE]
It didn't sound like people were saying the velcro didn't stay shut; it sounded as though the way the whole velcro strap attaches to the raft itself was faulty.
If the strap itself was coming loose, you think that'd be hard to demonstrate?
My point is I think these people are lying, not maliciously, just that since a kid died they want be able to say "I knew something was wrong...". Maybe, in their minds, the straps seemed loose. But if that was really the case why didn't they raise hell? Lives are on the line. Maybe because there really wasn't anything wrong with the straps.
I think the raft just caught air, it was just the right combo of people to allow it to happen. Maybe 10lbs more of woman or kid and this doesn't happen.
The only way to really visualize that is performing reconstruction tests.
I wonder if they are going to do that, would be interesting.
[QUOTE=Headhumpy;50859693]he's american tho so that may explain his perspective[/QUOTE]
Oh yea. American sized food portions are probably the biggest in the world. I imagine we'll all only keep getting bigger as our gmo diets increase as the years go by.
[QUOTE=MaximLaHaxim;50861734]
Oh, and I find it funny how the guy who voted against regulating big businesses ended up losing his child to something that could've been prevented by, well, regulating big businesses.[/QUOTE]
Wow that's kind of fucked up.
[QUOTE=PowerUp;50863867]Oh yea. American sized food portions are probably the biggest in the world. I imagine we'll all only keep getting bigger as our gmo diets increase as the years go by.[/QUOTE]
GMO helps to have more food available and theoretically reduce prices (more likely going straight to profits, instead). Despite obscure health claims or scummy business practices, it definitely doesn't raise the number of calories in the same portion sizes of food or otherwise meaningfully affect metabolism.
Americans are fat because they overeat, not because spooky additives and modifications are forcing Americans to be fat. I'm sure there's lots of Americans willing to [I]blame[/I] GMO for their poor dietary practices, though. It's similar to how Americans blame McDonalds for selling cheap unhealthy food, yet ignoring that buying and cooking one's own produce is the same cost and far better for you.
[QUOTE=bitches;50863946]GMO helps to have more food available and theoretically reduce prices (more likely going straight to profits, instead). Despite obscure health claims or scummy business practices, it definitely doesn't raise the number of calories in the same portion sizes of food or otherwise meaningfully affect metabolism.
Americans are fat because they overeat, not because spooky additives and modifications are forcing Americans to be fat. I'm sure there's lots of Americans willing to [I]blame[/I] GMO for their poor dietary practices, though. It's similar to how Americans blame McDonalds for selling cheap unhealthy food, yet ignoring that buying and cooking one's own produce is the same cost and far better for you.[/QUOTE]
Completely agree Americans are fat from overeating and sedentary lifestyles. Also, buying your own food and cooking it is not only healthier but way cheaper in the long run (when you consider health care costs from a poor diet or missing days of work, etc).
However additives, gmo, and the way we process our foods might have consequences that we are unable to quantify yet. Don't forget it wasn't so long ago that doctors were saying that smoking wasn't a big deal (interested to see the effects of e-cigs in 20 years). For all the medical and technical advances we've made, we're really still fishing around in the dark for answers. If I have a choice between less processed and non-gmo food then I would easily take that over the opposite. However, that option might be prohibitively expensive as time goes on!
[QUOTE=MaximLaHaxim;50861734]Well, considering that they have pictures to back what they say up, I'd trust it.
Oh, and I find it funny how the guy who voted against regulating big businesses ended up losing his child to something that could've been prevented by, well, regulating big businesses.[/QUOTE]
You're an awful person if you're trying to inject your own self righteous fervor into this.
[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;50864320]You're an awful person if you're trying to inject your own self righteous fervor into this.[/QUOTE]
What?
[QUOTE=MaximLaHaxim;50864326]What?[/QUOTE]
I'm not exactly sure how you're blaming this kid's death on "evul big biz".
[QUOTE=MaximLaHaxim;50861734]Oh, and I find it funny how the guy who voted against regulating big businesses ended up losing his child to something that could've been prevented by, well, regulating big businesses.[/QUOTE]
What happened to being sad about the whole thing? Why do you think it's funny that a father lost his child in a freak accident now that you know about his political leanings?
[QUOTE=download;50864445]I'm not exactly sure how you're blaming this kid's death on "evul big biz".[/QUOTE]
the park explicitly chose Kansas for its attraction because of lax ride security laws, hence the kid dying on "Elected Official Appreciation Day" (a day to thank lawmakers for not enforcing ride safety with regulations)
[editline]10th August 2016[/editline]
[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;50864320]You're an awful person if you're trying to inject your own self righteous fervor into this.[/QUOTE]
finding it "funny" isn't right, but there definitely needs to be a conversation about safety regulations and the role politicians play in them; his own votes in part led to the death of his child by deciding corporations ought to enforce safety themselves rather than be held to a unified standard of safety when throwing human beings around at 60 miles an hour
[QUOTE=bitches;50864543]the park explicitly chose Kansas for its attraction because of lax ride security laws, hence the kid dying on "Elected Official Appreciation Day" (a day to thank lawmakers for not enforcing ride safety with regulations)
[editline]10th August 2016[/editline]
finding it "funny" isn't right, but there definitely needs to be a conversation about safety regulations and the role politicians play in them; his own votes in part led to the death of his child by deciding corporations ought to enforce safety themselves rather than be held to a unified standard of safety when throwing human beings around at 60 miles an hour[/QUOTE]
When I said "funny", I meant "ironic". Sorry for the confusion, I'm not a sadist.
[editline]11th August 2016[/editline]
[QUOTE=download;50864445]I'm not exactly sure how you're blaming this kid's death on "evul big biz".[/QUOTE]
In a way, it sort-of did.
The lack of regulations most certainly played a part in this, I'm sure.
[QUOTE=bitches;50864543]finding it "funny" isn't right, but there definitely needs to be a conversation about safety regulations and the role politicians play in them; his own votes in part led to the death of his child by deciding corporations ought to enforce safety themselves rather than be held to a unified standard of safety when throwing human beings around at 60 miles an hour[/QUOTE]
Yea I agree with this sentiment. A lot of politicians seem comfortable with the idea of supporting ideas or policy that suit some of their constituents, but not necessarily the general public who they represent. Losing a child is a tragic event that appears to be correlated to this politician's vote, based on what I'm reading in this thread, but it definitely is not funny.
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