Drained with visible rust stains, Verrückt has been closed since August 7, 2016 when 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, son of Kansas state representative Scott Schwab, died while riding the slide. Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts and the family that runs it said in a statement that the "Verruckt" ride at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City, Kansas, will be permanently removed from its tower "once the investigation is concluded and we are given permission by the court." "In our opinion, it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy," the statement read, adding that "all of us at Schlitterbahn have been heartbroken over the tragedy that occurred on Verruckt." A spokeswoman told 41 Action News the slide “will never run again — not at any park, anywhere.” She also said the park is ready to begin taking down the slide and conveyer belt “the moment we are allowed to by the court.” 
 
 All of us at Schlitterbahn have been heartbroken over the tragedy that occurred on Verrückt. "In our 50 years of providing an environment for families and friends to gather," the statement read, "we've never experienced this kind of devastating event." Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts said in its statement Tuesday that it has been cooperating with investigators and the victims' families and attorneys, noting that "the safety of our staff and our guests is our top priority." We are parents and grandparents ourselves and many of us have ridden Verrückt with our own children and grandchildren over the years it operated. Once the investigation is concluded and we are given permission by the court, Verrückt will be decommissioned – closed permanently and the slide removed from the tower. We will, at some point in the future, announce what will be built in its place. We continue to fully cooperate with investigative teams and work with the families, their attorneys and our staff impacted by this accident. As we move forward, we assure everyone who works for us and the community: we remain wholly committed to our Kansas City park and the original vision of Schlitterbahn – providing a great place to work and an environment for families and friends to gather together. The slide cannot be torn down until all investigations and potential litigation has concluded." It is still unknown if lawyers representing the Schwab family or the women injured in a raft with Caleb will file a lawsuit or settle. Kansas is known for its light regulation of amusement park rides, and the Texas-based company that operates Schlitterbahn lobbied legislators to help ensure that it remained responsible for its own inspections. Meyerkord is a personal injury attorney in Kansas City.
– The 10-year-old son of a Kansas lawmaker died on the world's tallest water slide this summer, and that ride is now closed for good. Caleb Schwab, the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab, suffered a "fatal neck injury" Aug. 7 on the 168-foot Verruckt slide at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park; the slide has been closed as investigators look into Caleb's death, the Kansas City Star reports. Once the probe is done and the park gets the legal go-ahead, the slide will be "decommissioned," with the ride permanently shuttered and the slide taken down from its tower, per a Schlitterbahn statement released Tuesday. "In our opinion, it is the only proper course of action following this tragedy," the park says, adding it remains "heartbroken" over Caleb's death. It's not clear whether the Schwab family will sue or settle with the park, or if criminal charges will be filed, though the Kansas City PD tells KSHB charges aren't likely. In Kansas, permanent amusement park rides have to undergo yearly inspections, but they can be done by private firms rather than the state, the AP reports. In Schlitterbahn's case, all of its rides received a thumbs-up in June after they received private inspections. But some people who had ridden the slide, operational since 2014, spoke out after Caleb's death and noted they'd had uneasy experiences on the ride, including shoulder harnesses coming loose and rafts flying into the air when they shouldn't. The park notes in its release that it will eventually announce what attraction will be built in Verruckt's place.