Monday, September 27, 2010

Is This What They Call....Irony?


Ok, I understand this is very sad, BUT I had to laugh a little not at his death but at the way in which he died.  It is a very interesting quirk of fate :)


"The Segway Company Owner Accidentally Dies Riding Segway over Cliff"

Story here & here or below.

“James Heselden, the owner of the Segway company, died in an apparent accident involving the upright two-wheeled vehicle on Sunday.

The 62-year-old businessman was pulled from the River Wharfe, in Yorkshire, England, according to police reports, and a Segway-like vehicle was also recovered at the scene.


According to a report in British newspaper the Telegraph, Heselden, who was known as Jimi, was discovered by a passerby after apparently falling from a cliff above the river. Police do not believe the death to be suspicious.


Heselden was worth about £166 million. He was a former miner who made his fortune from his company, Hesco Bastion, which developed a wire cage water containment system which was used to control floods and used in military defense.


He was also heralded for his charity work, including the British veterans' charity, Help for Heroes.


The Segway, a motorized scooter, is controlled by the direction the rider leans. It used gyroscopes to stay upright. The device was invented by Dean Kamen, who sold his company to Heselden earlier this year.”

I am not laughing at his death, but come on - the irony is humorous!  And how did he miss that cliff?

2 comments:

  1. Omg, W.K. I read this article this morning and thought, "Oh no. Really?"

    First off, it's a tragedy no matter how it happened.

    But really? A segway off a cliff? What is this a Looney Toons joke?!

    Omg.

    What terrible PR.

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  2. I saw this too and immediately thought it was a publicity stunt. A really bad stunt.

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