Owner of Segway Inc. dies after plummeting to his death...on a Segway - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Baraka_Guru · 09-27-2010, 03:17 PM

Considering the debate surrounding the safety of the Segway, I found this to be some pretty bitter irony.

I tried not to laugh...I really did.

Quote:

Segway owner dies after falling off river cliff
By GREGORY KATZ Associated Press Writer © 2010 The Associated Press
Sept. 27, 2010, 5:17PM

LONDON — All police found at the bottom of a cliff was a man's body in a frigid river and a Segway, the two-wheeled electric device that was supposed to revolutionize personal transport.

It was Jimi Heselden, a one-time laid-off coal miner turned self-made millionaire who had bought the Segway company only 10 months earlier. He apparently fell to his death while riding one of the sleek black-and-silver scooters. Authorities said Monday his body was found in the River Wharfe at the base of a 30-foot cliff.

Details remained sketchy — police say only that the death was not suspicious, meaning foul play is not suspected — but the incident seems certain to raise fresh questions about the safety of the Segway, which is banned on British motorways and in some U.S. cities because of safety concerns.

A witness reported seeing a man fall Sunday over a 30-foot drop into the river near the village of Boston Spa, 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of London. The remote, heavily forested area, not far from Heselden's country estate, is popular with hikers.

A family spokesman released a statement saying the "exact circumstances of the accident are still being clarified and will, of course, be the subject of an inquest." The family "has been left devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of a much-loved father and husband," the spokesman said.

Somber family members visited the accident site Monday — placing wreaths — but they asked for privacy.

Heselden, a high school dropout who went on to make a fortune developing a blast wall system used to protect troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, never abandoned his gritty roots. He used his money to help people in the working-class area around Leeds where he grew up, earning folk hero status there.

The 62-year-old Heselden had bought control of the Bedford, N.H.-based Segway in December.

The company's unique two-wheeler was introduced with much fanfare in 1999 by its American founder, Dean Kamen, as a means of transport that was more protective of the environment than other scooters and automobiles. The company claims the Segway is 11 times more efficient than the average American car. It can be used indoors because it has no emissions, making it popular with some police departments and private security firms, who use it to patrol indoor malls.

But it has also been linked to some high-profile mishaps.

President George W. Bush famously tried one out in 2003 at his family's estate in Maine, but the machine toppled over when he tried to get on it. Celebrity journalist Piers Morgan also took a tumble on one — the video can be seen on YouTube, along with dozens of other Segway mishaps.

Heselden's death prompted new questions about the safety record of the battery-powered Segway, which is stabilized by gyroscopes and can travel at speeds up to 12.5 mph (20 kph).

The company recalled all its U.S. vehicles in 2006 because of a software problem that could make its wheels reverse direction, causing riders to fall off.

New Jersey lawyer Samuel Davis told The Associated Press he has represented about a dozen people hurt while riding Segways, including some who suffered serious injuries.

"The problem is the vehicles are just not that stable," he said. "You have to get used to leaning away from the turn. If you lean into it, you'll turn over. They don't do well on gravel or surfaces where there is a stone or a bump. It's difficult to control."

One U.S. businessman was quick to defend the Segway's safety record.

Mobile Entertainment, which has offered Segway tours along the Mississippi River for the past seven years, has had more than 40,000 customers ride the device without any serious injuries, owner Bill Neuenschwander told the AP.

"Nobody's gone off a river. Nobody," he said, speaking Monday from Minneapolis. "This product is perfectly safe when people respect its limitations."

Heselden dropped out of school at 15 and worked as a coal miner before founding Hesco Bastion Ltd., based in Leeds, near the tough Halton Moor area where he grew up.

"Jimi was an amazing man who, apart from being a wonderful success story for Leeds due to his business acumen, was also remarkably selfless and generous, giving millions to local charities to help people in his home city," said Tom Riordan, the chief executive of Leeds City Council.

Heselden recently gave $15.9 million (10 million pounds) to the Leeds Community Foundation and also supported the "Help for Heroes" charity that aids wounded Armed Forces veterans.

"Life turned out pretty well for me, but I still work in the same area where I grew up, and everyday I see people who for whatever reason are down on their luck," Heselden told the Yorkshire Post earlier this year. "When times are good I honestly believe people have a moral obligation to use their wealth to help others."

Heselden is credited with bringing hundreds of jobs to the Leeds area since the development of the Hesco barriers in 1990. The barriers consist of wire frames that are fitted with liners and filled with dirt, sand or rock and used to protect soldiers and also to fortify flood walls and to stop oil from fouling beaches and marshes.

The U.S. and its allies have used the barriers to protect their bases in various war zones, and they were also used in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and along the southern U.S. coast after the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

___

Associated Press writers Raphael G. Satter, Robert Barr and Fisnik Abrashi in London contributed to this report.

Segway owner dies after falling off river cliff | Top AP Stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

noodle · 09-27-2010, 03:20 PM

I was wondering if I was the only person on the TF that was struck literally speechless for a moment by the irony of this situation. I laughed, immediately felt guilty for laughing and then wondered how it might affect the sales...

Pearl Trade · 09-27-2010, 03:37 PM

Don't hold it in, guys, every second you hold back a laugh someone gets hurt riding a Segway. Someone held their laugh in a little bit too long.

This is funny.

Here's a couple jokes from Bill Burr's podcast, talking about this story:

"I should have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalked!"
"Segways are now taking people from this life to the afterlife."

Daniel_ · 09-28-2010, 10:41 AM

I saw this on the BBC and it did cause me to giggle a little.

Poor bugger though. I feel for his family.

Plan9 · 09-28-2010, 10:43 AM

There is a god and he's a frickin' comedian.

Baraka_Guru · 09-28-2010, 11:18 AM

This is totally showing up as a scene in an episode of The Family Guy.

Charlatan · 09-28-2010, 03:36 PM

I still want one. They are fun to ride.

Pearl Trade · 09-28-2010, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlatan

I still want one. They are fun to ride.

In your opinion, how easy would it be to drive one off a cliff? Could he have just leaned back (cue the music)? Unless he had a death grip on the handles...

Baraka_Guru · 09-28-2010, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pearl Trade

In your opinion, how easy would it be to drive one off a cliff? Could he have just leaned back (cue the music)? Unless he had a death grip on the handles...

Apparently the issue is with gravel, uneven, or otherwise hazardous surfaces.

lunxpress · 09-28-2010, 06:56 PM

Hearing this reminded me of that author Jim Fixx who wrote the classic book about running, in the late 70's. Supposedly he went out for a run one day, and never came back!

We should all be lucky enough to die doing what we love!

Hektore · 09-28-2010, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pearl Trade

In your opinion, how easy would it be to drive one off a cliff? Could he have just leaned back (cue the music)? Unless he had a death grip on the handles...

Regardless of the capabilities of the machine, driving anything near an unguarded cliff is a pretty bad idea.

09-27-2010, 03:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
Pearl Trade Addict Location: Houston, Texas	Don't hold it in, guys, every second you hold back a laugh someone gets hurt riding a Segway. Someone held their laugh in a little bit too long. This is funny. Here's a couple jokes from Bill Burr's podcast, talking about this story: "I should have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalked!" "Segways are now taking people from this life to the afterlife." __________________ Our revenge will be the laughter of our children. Give me convenience or give me death! Last edited by Pearl Trade; 09-27-2010 at 04:11 PM..

09-28-2010, 10:41 AM	#4 (permalink)
Daniel_ Evil Priest: The Devil Made Me Do It! Location: Southern England	I saw this on the BBC and it did cause me to giggle a little. Poor bugger though. I feel for his family. __________________ ╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗ Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air, And deep beneath the rolling waves, In labyrinths of Coral Caves, The Echo of a distant time Comes willowing across the sand; And everthing is Green and Submarine ╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

09-28-2010, 11:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	This is totally showing up as a scene in an episode of The Family Guy. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

09-28-2010, 03:36 PM	#7 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I still want one. They are fun to ride. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

09-28-2010, 10:43 AM	#5 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	There is a god and he's a frickin' comedian.

09-28-2010, 06:56 PM	#10 (permalink)
lunxpress Tilted Location: Here	Hearing this reminded me of that author Jim Fixx who wrote the classic book about running, in the late 70's. Supposedly he went out for a run one day, and never came back! We should all be lucky enough to die doing what we love!