Schlitterbahn has defended its co-owner Jeff Henry and ride designer John Schooley, after the pair were charged with reckless second-degree murder in relation to the death of a 10-year-old boy.

Caleb Thomas Schwab – son of state representative Scott Schwab and his wife Michele – died riding Verrückt in 2016, a ride investigators have called “rushed” and “structurally complicated”, adding that the ride ignored safety issues and replaced mathematical calculations with “crude trial-and-error methods.”

The charges against Henry and Schooley follow that of former company employee Tyler Miles, who has been accused of involuntary manslaughter and several counts of aggravated battery, aggravated endangering a child and interference with law enforcement. The new indictment accuses Henry of making a “spur of the moment” decision to build the ride, adding that he and Schooley lacked technical or engineering expertise in creating amusement park rides.

“This indictment, as in the previous one related to Tyler Miles, is wrought with references to the outtakes of a dramatic, scripted television show, and filled with information that we fully dispute,” said a Schlitterbahn statement, which promised to fight the criminal charges against all three men.

“Jeff Henry has designed waterpark rides the world over. Nearly every waterpark that exists today has an attraction or feature based on his designs or ideas.

“The incident that happened that day was a terrible and tragic accident. We mourn the loss of this child and are devastated for his family. We know that Tyler, Jeff, and John are innocent and that we run a safe operation – our 40 years of entertaining millions of people speaks to that.

“We are confident that their innocence will be proven in court where we know the facts will show this was an accident.”