Kansas lawmakers approve amusement ride law following child's death

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[April 08, 2017]    (Reuters) - Kansas lawmakers on Friday approved legislation that would tighten regulations of amusement rides following the death of a state representative's son last year on the world's tallest water slide.

 

Legislation approved by the Republican-controlled Senate on Friday would require qualified inspectors to check amusement park rides every year, as opposed to allowing park owners to do the checks.

The bill was created after Caleb Thomas Schwab, 10, died in August 2016 at the Schlitterbahn waterpark on the Verruckt water slide that sent riders plunging down 17 stories at up to 50 miles an hour (80 kph).

The bill also includes a provision requiring people who are injured on rides to report the injury to the park before leaving. Parks must then report these injuries to authorities.

The bill heads to Republican Governor Sam Brownback's desk for final approval.

Brownback will carefully review the legislation, his spokeswoman, Melika Willoughby, said by telephone. The governor has told local media he would follow the lead of Caleb's father, Scott Schwab, a Republican representative from Olathe, a Kansas City suburb. Schwab spoke in support of the bill last month on the House floor, local media reported.

"This bill’s really not about Caleb. I think we understand that," the Topeka Capital-Journal quoted him as saying. "It’s the next kid that goes someplace in Kansas for a fun weekend."

Officials at the Schlitterbahn waterpark closed the slide after Caleb's death and said the ride would be demolished.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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