Segway CEO Dies After Plunging Off Cliff... On Segway

[JustSomeDude]

http://on.today.com/bQThRD


wtf

[asp_125]

They're death machines I tell ya! Ironic huh?

[TransNone13]

Post details? The DoD network blocks the link :(.

[MetaLord 9]

What the hell? Srsly. Isn't the emergency plan for a segway just "step back?" At the very most, this had to have been a tuck & roll situation....

[dirkterrell]

He tried to make an outside pass on Eslick...

Dirk

[bulldog]

What the hell? Srsly. Isn't the emergency plan for a segway just "step back?" At the very most, this had to have been a tuck & roll situation.... Exactly! Maybe it was too much work to "step back" seeing as this invention is all about being too lazy to walk and now they made one for people to use in the mountains. Sheesh, what ever happened to a good old fashion hike through nature.

RIP though since a man was killed :(

[Ricky]

What's funnier is that now they're trying to get the word out to people that "Segway's can be dangerous, and you can injure yourself". Really? No shit? Ya don't say?

Walking is dangerous on its own. And as I've proven, jumping on a trampoline is more dangerous than riding my motorcycle.

[MetaLord 9]

Living is a terminal condition...acute stupidity also shortens your lifespan significantly

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Hate to laugh at anybody dying, but, man, that's irony for ya.....

RIP

[Survivalism]

Well thats all the proof i need that the next segway model will be "killer"

lol..

[Sean]

Just like the Prius guy! Short story, don't invent anything ghey!

[MetaLord 9]

^^I thought a Prius WAS a segway, but with a seat :dunno:

[Sean]

Same hp

[Canuck]

This dude didn't invent the Segway. He bought the distribution rights to it a year ago.
The gentleman (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Kamen) who invented the is a pure genius...

[Wrider]

Post details? The DoD network blocks the link :(.
A British businessman who bought the Segway company less than a year ago died after riding one of the scooters off a cliff and into a river near his Yorkshire estate.
Jim Heselden, known locally as Jimi, acquired the Segway company (http://blog.segway.com/20100114segway-inc-announces-merger-808.html) from its U.S. inventor Dean Kamen in December 2009.
According to the British media, Heselden, 62, plunged into the River Wharfe while riding a rugged country version of the two-wheeled transporter (http://www.segway.com/) on Sunday.
Police said a witness had reported seeing a man fall over a 30-foot drop into the river near Boston Spa, 140 miles north of London.
"Police were called at 11.40 a.m. yesterday to reports of a man in the River Wharfe, apparently having fallen from the cliffs above," a spokesman told The Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315518/Jimi-Heselden-killed-Segway-accident.html).
A Segway was recovered from the scene. "At this time we do not believe the death to be suspicious," the spokesman added.
"It is with great sadness that we have to confirm that Jimi Heselden has died in a tragic accident near his home in West Yorkshire," his company, Hesco Bastion (http://www.hesco.com/index.html), said in a statement.
A dozen members of Heselden's family asked for privacy Monday after placing flowers at the heavily wooded accident site, which is popular with hikers and nature lovers.
Heselden was worth around $265 million (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8027301/Segway-company-owner-dies-riding-two-wheeled-machine-off-cliff.html)
and ranked 395th on the Sunday Times Rich List.

Leading philanthropist
On Sept. 18, the Yorkshire Post reported that Heselden had donated $36 million of his fortune to charity, making him one of Britain’s leading philanthropists.
Most recently, he gave $15 million to the Leeds Community Foundation (http://www.leedscommunityfoundation.org.uk/), which helps disadvantaged parts of the north of England city.
"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 himself came from poor beginnings in Leeds and left school at the age of 15 to work in the mines.
Story: Segway scooters can lead to serious injuries, experts warn (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39382682/ns/today-today_health) He got his break in 1990 when he invented a concertina design for wire cage walls, which are used by the military to protect bases and also for flood protection. The headquarters of his firm is a short distance from Heselden's childhood home.

Heselden was appreciative of his good fortune, but always remembered his own tough beginnings.

[Filo]

This dude didn't invent the Segway. He bought the distribution rights to it a year ago.
The gentleman (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Kamen) who invented the is a pure genius...

I don't know that Kamen invented it - they have had inverted pendulums for a long time. I guess he can have the credit though. My brother-in-law works for him on the Luke Arm. Sounds like a fun place to work.

The irony of the Segway CEO going out on a Segway is too much. They have a special key that turns off all the safety things (like the speed control). Maybe he had it cranked all the way up to "God" on the performance? They are pretty tough to ride when you use the special key - very fast, very twitchy.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

This dude didn't invent the Segway. He bought the distribution rights to it a year ago.
The gentleman (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Kamen) who invented the is a pure genius...
That's what I thought at first too, was that Kamen had died. He's a genius, and I'd LOVE to work for the guy, but the Segway is a dumb answer to a question nobody ever asked. Seriously, $5k for a friggin' toy with less utility than a mountain bike? I rode one for fun at a dealership, and I wouldn't waste $500 on one......

Glad Kamen is still alive, he's done some cool stuff (like his "wheelchairs" that can climb steps).

[salsashark]

The irony of the Segway CEO going out on a Segway is too much. They have a special key that turns off all the safety things (like the speed control). Maybe he had it cranked all the way up to "God" on the performance? They are pretty tough to ride when you use the special key - very fast, very twitchy.

Are you saying his Segway went to 11?!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_WENF5AxFUtU/S8TZU9nQqnI/AAAAAAAAK7I/mABADqZ1tBU/VroomVroom.gif

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Are you saying his Segway went to 11?!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_WENF5AxFUtU/S8TZU9nQqnI/AAAAAAAAK7I/mABADqZ1tBU/VroomVroom.gif
hAH! Spinal Tap, a classic!

[puckstr]

See I told you those DAMN things are DANGEROUS


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/28/article-1315518-0B60D492000005DC-924_468x417.jpg

BTW 80' drop does not make it a CLIFF. Honestly! I mean Really!

[Finklestein87]

Bummer

[mastap07]

Heselden was worth around $265 million (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8027301/Segway-company-owner-dies-riding-two-wheeled-machine-off-cliff.html)

only....

[Vellos]

Bummer

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tT91V6M2VRU/TForuug39sI/AAAAAAAAAAM/Ha3IDO7iUFc/s1600/polar-bear-face-palm-thumbnail.jpg

This thread is from Sept 2010.

[Wrider]

Way to necrothread buddy...

[grim]

all you need to know

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

all you need to know
Hah!

[Finklestein87]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tT91V6M2VRU/TForuug39sI/AAAAAAAAAAM/Ha3IDO7iUFc/s1600/polar-bear-face-palm-thumbnail.jpg

This thread is from Sept 2010.

He died dude.