Parents of boy killed on Verrückt water slide speak for first time about his death

For the first time since their 10-year-old son was killed on the Verrückt water slide, the parents of Caleb Schwab spoke about the tragedy in an interview.

“Six went to the park, and five came back,” Scott Schwab said in an interview that was broadcast Monday on “Good Morning America.”

Schwab, a Kansas House representative from Olathe, took his wife, Michele, and four sons to the Schlitterbahn Vacation Village’s water park in Kansas City, Kan., on Aug. 7 — a day on which admission was free for Kansas state legislators and their families.

The Schwabs recounted that day during a four-minute segment on “Good Morning America.”

Soon after arriving, Caleb and his brother Nathan set off into the park with friends.

“Before they took off, I said, ‘Brothers stick together,’ ” Scott Schwab told Caleb. “He said, ‘I know Dad.’

“I said, ‘Look at me, brothers stick together.’ ”

It was the last time they would see Caleb alive. Nathan was waiting for Caleb at the bottom of the slide when the accident happened.

“He was screaming: ‘He flew from Verrückt! He flew from Verrückt!’ ” Michele Schwab said.

When she tried to get closer, a man would not let her.

“He just kept saying, ‘Trust me, you don’t want to go any further,’ ” Michele Schwab said.

The shock was so great, Scott Schwab demanded that someone actually confirm his son’s death.

“I said, ‘I just need to hear you say, is my son dead?’ and he just shook his head,” Scott Schwab said. “ ‘I need to hear it from you, is he dead?’ And he said, ‘Yes, your son’s dead.’ ”

Schwab said it was surreal — he didn’t even remember driving home.

The Schwabs have since reached a settlement with Schlitterbahn.

“It’s an accident, but there’s an accounting because someone was negligent,” Scott Schwab said.

They agreed to the interview to express their gratitude for the support they have received.

“We have a box of greeting cards from around the world, and we just want people to know that one, we’re thankful,” Scott Schwab said. “And yeah, we’re still hurting, but we’re going to be OK.”

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Parents of boy killed on Verrückt water slide speak for first time about his death."