On August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old son of Kansas state representative
Scott Schwab, died while riding Verrückt. The raft he was riding went airborne during the ascent of the second hill and impacted a metal support of the netting,
decapitating him.
[3][24][25] 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.
[26] In the immediate aftermath, the park was closed pending an inspection.
[24][27] Although the park reopened three days later, the ride remained closed.
[26][28][29]
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).
[30] 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).
[30] 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".
[21] Their findings revealed that the use of the metal brace and netting system in the design,
[8] along with the use of
hook and loop straps to restrain the riders,
[31] went against guidelines set by
ASTM F-24 Committee on Amusement Ride and Devices.
[32] According to the guidelines, Verrückt should have incorporated the use of a rigid over-the-shoulder restraint for riders,
[31] and an
upstop mechanism to prevent the rafts from going airborne.
[33]