Two women who were riding in the same raft as the 10-year-old boy killed on a Kansas water slide suffered injuries of their own, including a broken jaw and a facial fracture.
The unidentified woman, who was riding with her sister and the boy, Caleb Schwab, was quoted by People magazine as saying that it was “the worst day of her life.”
The accident took place so quickly that they didn’t know what happened. They are still undergoing medical treatment, said Jerald Ratliff, who is the boss of the husband of one of the women.
“They’re just dealing with the medical things right now,” Ratliff, the president of Central Plains Co-Op in Smith Center, Kansas, told People magazine. “They’re going to have to take their time to heal physically and emotionally.” He added that they both suffered facial injuries.
Ratliff told the publication that the sisters are “doing OK.”
The woman married to his employee is around 30 years old with two children under the age of 5. The other woman, her sister, is around the same age. She also has two young children, he said.
The Hays Daily News, citing the woman’s husband, reported that one of the women suffered a broken jaw and had to get stitches. Her sister had a fracture under her left eye, a bruised eyeball, and also required stitches.
The sisters are not related to Caleb.
Another witness described the incident.
“When I heard a noise that didn’t sound like it was supposed to come from that kind of ride, that’s when I turned around,” Jess Sanford told CNN.
“I didn’t understand what was going on so I only saw Caleb sliding down the last half of the slide, and then I saw the blood,” she added. “I think they kind of realized that he was dead, so I don’t think they tried to revive him.”
On Friday, a funeral was held for the boy at a church in Olathe, Kansas.
Scott Schwab, the father of Caleb and a local Kansas state representative, spoke to a crowd of people. “Our goal is to get to a place where we think of Caleb and feel joy and not sorrow,” Schwab said, adding: “We have lost our joy, but we will get it back,” according to the Kansas City Star.
Caleb died Sunday, Aug. 7, as he was riding the 17-story Verruckt water slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The ride will remain closed for the rest of the summer. Police are investigating his death.
