Segway Owner Dies: Jimi Heselden (not Segway Inventor) Car Crash

The British inventor and owner of Segway Inc., tragically died on Sunday after a car crash involving an off-road model of his own company’s famous two-wheeled vehicle in northern England, West Yorkshire police told the Associated Press.

A statement posted on Segway’s Web site said:

It is with great sadness that we have to confirm that Jimi Heselden O.B.E., has died in a tragic accident near his home in West Yorkshire. Jimi Heselden, 62, was chairman of Hesco Bastion Ltd., the world leading manufacturer of protective barriers and owner of Segway Inc.

Mr. Heselden’s body was found on Sunday in the River Wharfe, The Daily Mail reported, after he had apparently “plunged 30 feet from a rocky path” while on a version of the Segway known as the X2.