Schlitterbahn Kansas City

In November 2012, Schlitterbahn Waterpark announced plans for the world's tallest and fastest water slide, Verrückt.[3] Designed by Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry, Verrückt was a three-person raft slide with an uphill section. The initial drop was a 17-story plunge with a five-story uphill section. At 168 feet 7 inches (51.38 m),[4] the starting point was taller than Niagara Falls[5] and reached a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). It opened on July 10, 2014, after multiple delays.[6]

On August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old son of Kansas state representative Scott Schwab, died while riding Verrückt. The death occurred when the raft he was in went airborne at the lower bump and impacted a metal support of the netting, decapitating him.[7][8] The other two passengers, both women, were injured in the incident — one suffered a broken jaw, while the other suffered a facial bone fracture and needed stitches.[9] In the immediate aftermath, the park was closed pending an inspection.[7][10] Although the park reopened three days later, the ride remained closed.[9][11][12]

An investigation found that the boy, who weighed 74 pounds (34 kg), had been allowed to sit in the front of the raft, rather than between the two women accompanying him — one weighed 275 pounds (125 kg), while the other weighed 197 pounds (89 kg).[13] This led to an uneven weight distribution that contributed to the raft going airborne, despite the cumulative weight of 546 pounds (248 kg), less than the maximum recommended weight of 550 pounds (250 kg).[13] Engineers who inspected the ride also commented that the ride's netting, used in areas where riders travel up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h), "posed its own hazard because a rider moving at high speeds could easily lose a limb if they hit it".[14] Their findings revealed that the use of the metal brace and netting system in the design,[15] along with the use of hook and loop straps to restrain the riders,[16] went against guidelines set by ASTM F-24 Committee on Amusement Ride and Devices.[17] According to the guidelines, Verrückt should have incorporated the use of a rigid over-the-shoulder restraint for riders,[16] and an upstop mechanism to prevent the rafts from going airborne.[18]

In 2018, the last operating season of the park, four attractions remained closed throughout the season after an audit by regulators found that each did not comply with the Kansas Amusement Ride Act.[19]

Demolition of Verrückt began on November 1, 2018. The park did not open for the 2019 season.

On June 13, 2019 Cedar Fair agreed to buy Schlitterbahn's two parks in New Braunfels and Galveston for a price of $261 million. Additionally, Cedar Fair had the option for up to 120 days to buy the Kansas City location "for an additional $6 million".[20] Cedar Fair did not pursue purchasing the property within those 120 days and the park remains standing but not operating.