Millionaire Segway tycoon dies in cliff plunge on one of his own scooters



The multi-millionaire owner of the company that makes Segway motorised scooters has died in a freak accident while riding one of his vehicles.

Jimi Heselden, 62, was found dead in a river after plunging 80 feet over a limestone cliff near his home.

He was riding a rugged country version of the two-wheeled Segway when tragedy struck.

Jimi Heselden, the multi-millionaire owner of the Segway company, died in a freak accident when he rode one of the high-tech two-wheel machines off a cliff

The body of the businessman, a former miner who was estimated to be worth £166million, was found in the River Wharfe at 11.40am on Sunday by a passer-by.

Police are investigating, but it is believed he lost control of the machine as he travelled along a bridleway close to his estate near Boston Spa, West Yorkshire.

The narrow pathway used by walkers is littered with tree roots and is rutted and uneven for most of its length.

The Segway was found in the river near his body, indicating that he was still riding the scooter when he drove over the cliff.

Segways are banned on British roads for safety reasons, but are legal on private land. Mr Heselden had bought the Segway company in a deal last December and planned to further develop the machine.

Tragedy: The spot where the accident happened

Twice-married Mr Heselden had four grown children. Yesterday, his wife Julie and other members of his family were too upset to talk publicly about the tragedy.

But a family spokesman said: ‘Our family has been left devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of a much-loved father and husband.’

The spokesman said there had been some ‘deeply upsetting’ speculation about the incident, but added: ‘There is absolutely nothing to suggest it was anything other than a tragic accident.

'We would like to thank Jimi’s many friends and colleagues for their help and condolences at this very distressing time.’

The scene: Mr Heselden died after his Segway plunged 42ft from a rocky path and into Jackdaw Crag, located on the River Wharfe, West Yorkshire

Mr Heselden's death came just a week after he became one of the UK's most generous philanthropists, giving away £10million to a foundation he set up in 2008

The accident marked a tragic end to an extraordinary life.

Mr Heselden rose from humble roots to become a successful businessman and one of the country’s most generous philanthropists.

Only last week he donated £10million to the Leeds Community Foundation he set up; in total he has donated £23million to the fund.



Accident: The millionaire philanthropist was riding a rugged country version of the Segway, like this X2 Adventure model, when he went over a cliff and into a river

Much of the money has gone towards helping disadvantaged youngsters, vulnerable elderly people and health improvement projects in his home city.



This year he said: ‘I honestly believe people have a moral obligation to use their wealth to help others.’

Mr Heselden left school at 15 to become a miner but lost his job in the cuts that followed the bitter 1984 strike.

He used redundancy money to found his company, HESCO Bastion. It manufactures portable wire cages that can be lined and filled with earth and sand. At first he sold them to water companies to shore up the sides of canals.

This map of Boston Spa shows where Mr Heselden was found

But the ‘concertainers’ proved to be adept at stopping bullets, missiles and suicide bombers and have become standard military equipment for Nato as well as American and British forces.

Between 1998 and 2003 the Pentagon alone bought more than £50million worth of the flat-packed walls, which can be found throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Heselden, who was awarded an OBE in 2006, gave £1.5million to the Help For Heroes fund two years ago. His company also sponsored the recent Armed Forces charity concert at Twickenham.



