This undated handout photo issued by Hesco Bastion on Sept. 27, 2010 shows James Heselden, 62, a British businessman who last year bought the company that makes the two-wheeled Segway personal transporter, who has died in an accident on one of the vehicles. Police in West Yorkshire said Monday that James Heselden and a Segway were found in the River Wharfe near Boston Spa, in northern England. Police said a member of the public had reported seeing a man fall over a 30-foot drop into the river on Sunday. (AP Photo/Andy Paraskos/Hesco/PA Wire)
James Heselden, one of Britian’s wealthiest executives and the owner of the company that makes the Segway, died Sunday after driving a Segway off of a cliff and landing in a river, police said.
Click here to see photos of the Segway
Heselden’s body was found in the River Wharfe in northern England along with the Segway he was riding. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to police, witnesses reported seeing a man fall over the 30-foot cliff. Police said the circumstances surrounding Heselden’s death are not believed to be suspicious.
Heselden, 62, owned the firm Hesco Bastion, and worked as a coal miner before striking it big in the business world. A noted philanthropist, he recently donated more than $15 million to the Leeds Community Foundation.
While Heselden owned the Segway company, he did not in fact invent it. The Segway was invented by Dean Kamen in the 90s.
