news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_hi_te/eu_britain_segway_death
The body of 62-year-old Jimi Heselden and a Segway personal transporter were found in the River Wharfe and he was pronounced dead at the scene, West Yorkshire Police said. A witness had reported seeing a man fall Sunday over a 30-foot (9-meter) drop into the river near the village of Boston Spa, 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of London. "The incident is not believed to be suspicious," police said, indicating that they do not believe anyone else was involved. Hesco Bastion confirmed that Heselden "died in a tragic accident near his home in West Yorkshire." Police have not revealed further details about the incident. 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. The battery-powered Segway, which is stabilized by gyroscopes, was invented by Dean Kamen, who founded the company in 1999. Kamen was traveling Monday and could not be immediately reached for comment. It is more protective of the environment than other scooters and automobiles, the company says, claiming it is 11 times more efficient than the average American car and also can be used indoors because it has no emissions. Yet the lack of information about the circumstances surrounding Heselden's death prompted new questions about the Segway's safety record -- concerns that have been raised before. The company recalled all its US vehicles in 2006 because of a software problem that could cause its wheels to reverse direction, causing riders to fall off. The vehicle has also not been approved in Britain for road use, despite protests from Segway loyalists. Segways have been banned by some US cities but have also been embraced by other US police departments as a useful tool in community patrols. President George W Bush tried a Segway at his family's home in Maine in 2003 but the vehicle fell over when he tried to get on. The president was able to hop over the transporter and was unhurt. British TV host Piers Morgan, set to replace Larry King on CNN, also fell off a Segway -- one of dozens of Segway mishaps that can be seen on YouTube. Heselden left school at 15 and first worked as a coal miner before becoming a businessman and later a well known philanthropist in Britain. Hesco Bastion is a privately held company based in Leeds, near the tough Halton Moor area where Heselden 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. He described Heselden as a quiet, good-natured man who was tremendously proud of being from Leeds and who believed that those who had prospered had an obligation to help others. "There are people out there who are making money, and when times are good I honestly believe people have a moral obligation to use their wealth to help others," Heselden told the Yorkshire Post earlier this year. "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." Hesco barriers, wire frames that are fitted with liners and filled with dirt, sand or rocks, have mushroomed around the world's battlefields, where US and its allied troops use them to protect their bases. The barriers have also been used to fortify flood walls in places like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina or to stop oil from fouling delicate marshes along the southern US coast during the massive BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Despite the YouTube videos, one US 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 -- most of them new to Segway -- ride the device without any serious injuries, owner Bill Neuenschwander told The Associated Press. "Nobody's gone off a river, nobody," he said, speaking Monday from Minneapolis, Minnesota. "I can tell you firsthand: I can't believe how safe this product is." He said the Segway was also easy to use off the road -- on gravel, grass, hills or other steep inclines. "This product is perfectly safe when people respect its limitations." Associated Press writers Raphael G Satter, Robert Barr and Fisnik Abrashi in London contributed to this report.
Report Abuse His idea of the Hesco Barrier was brilliant and simple, saving lives and money around the world with immediate results. He made his fortune with a simple concept and sadly became distracted by the shiny high tech complex world of technological transportation.
Report Abuse I am sure some hateful liberals have negative comments about this man because he was rich. This man worked hard and returned his wealth to his community but he will be critize because he gave to people instead of the government taking and thinking they know what small towns want, need, or should get from THEM.
Report Abuse Although I had not heard of this man before today, it is sad that he died. He seems to have had both a personality and life story similar to Rodney Dangerfield's character Thornton Melon in the movie "Back to School."
Report Abuse One time, my friend Steve fell off a small cliff, maybe 15 ft. high right into a creek below when we were mountain biking with some other buddies. That was probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen. You should have seen the look on his face when he realized he was going to tip over the edge. Of course, he was stupid for riding so slowly through this area of the trail and just fell over. If he had bigger balls he never would have been going so slow and wouldn't have fallen. Luckily, he was wearing a helmet and he came through it mostly OK. I bet if he was on a Segway he would hve been hurt worse or even died if it landed on him or something. Well, we all sure learned a good lesson that day, don't ride the way Steve does, or you might get hurt falling off of a cliff.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
|
http://csua.com/feed/