'Caleb Thomas believed in Jesus,' says Scott Schwab on son's death at world's tallest water ride

Congressman Scott Schwab said his 10-year-old son, who died Sunday on the world's tallest water ride in Kansas, believed in Jesus as his Savior.

The Republican state representative and his wife, Michele, issued a statement, delivered Sunday night by Pastor Clint Sprague of Life Mission Church on their behalf, to express their gratitude for the compassion they've received as they mourn the untimely loss of their second oldest son, Caleb Thomas.

"Since the day he was born, he brought abundant joy to our family and all those who he came in contact with," said the statement. "As we try and mend our home with him no longer with us, we are comforted knowing he believed in his Savior, Jesus, and they are forever together now. We will see him another day."

The pastor described the young boy as a "man of God" and that the boy always became the first to pray for anyone who needed it.

The 44-year-old Kansas state lawmaker took his wife and their four boys to the Schlitterbahn waterpark in Kansas City, which declared an "Elected Officials' Day" on Sunday and gave free admission and lunch to the lawmakers and their families. His son died from a fatal neck injury after riding the Verruckt water slide, billed as the world's tallest at 17 stories high and over 168 feet tall.

The Kansas City Park closed on Monday and reopened on Wednesday while Verruckt remained shut down as officials investigate the tragic accident.

According to witnesses who spoke with KSHB-TV, they saw the boy fly into the air and hit the safety net while others observed that the harness device malfunctioned that day. Two women who rode with Schwab's son also suffered injuries and were hospitalized after the ride, according to their relatives who spoke with WDAF-TV. One suffered a broken jaw while the other had stitches in her eye and broke a bone in her face.

Verruckt water slide opened in 2014 after four delays due to safety issues. Co-owner Jeff Henry referred to the ride on the water slide as the "scariest thing" he's ever done and likened it to "jumping off the Empire State Building."

"It's dangerous, but it's a safe dangerous now," Henrey told USA Today two years ago. "Schlitterbahn is a family water park, but this isn't a family ride. It's for the thrill seekers of the world, people into extreme adventure."