Last August, 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was fatally injured while riding down a slide at a water park in Kansas City.
Yesterday, his parents, Scott and Michelle Schwab, gave their first ever interview since the tragic death of their son when they appeared on breakfast show Good Morning America.
“Six went to the park and five came back,” said Scott Schwab about the day that changed his life last summer, when his 10-year-old son died while riding what is known as the tallest water slide in America, the 168-foot slide Verruckt at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City.
According to the police report, Caleb, who was on the slide alongside his 12-year-old brother Nathan, died when he flew off the multi-person raft that makes the 17-story drop at speeds of up to 70 mph and fell 50 feet to his death.
The whole family was at the water park that day, but it was only Nathan who witnessed his brother’s tragic accident. Screaming after seeing his brother go flying off the raft, their mother said she could hear him from where she was in the park.
“He was screaming, ‘He flew from Verruckt! He flew from Verruckt!'” explains Michelle.
Racing to get to her sons, when she arrived at the site of the accident, the mum-of-four was quickly met by a man who stopped her from going any further.
“There was a gentleman who wouldn’t allow me to come close enough to see what was going on,” said Michelle.
“And he kept saying, “No, trust me. You don’t want to go any further.”‘
Scott explains that he was, naturally, in a state of shock, and kept asking for answers as to what was happening.
“I said, ‘I just need to hear it from you, is my son dead?’ And he just shook his head, and I said, ‘I need to hear it from you, is he dead?'” said Scott. “And he said, ‘Yes, your son is dead.”‘<
The bereaved father also recounted on the TV show the final time he spoke to Caleb just before the boys took off for the ride.
“Before they took off I said, ‘Brothers stick together.’ And he said, ‘I know dad,”‘ said Scott.
It was the last time he saw his son alive.
On why they decided to give an interview, Scott explains:
“We have a box of greeting cards from around the world and we just want people to know that we’re thankful. And yeah, we’re still hurting, but we’re gonna be okay.”
The bereaved parents also offered up a message to all parents, saying: “Be in the moment and hold your kids just a little bit tighter.”
The Kansas police department launched an investigation after the 10-year-old’s death, but ultimately decided against filing charges in the case, which was settled in a civil suit last month.
