The owner of the company that makes the Segway scooter has died just a few days after a study found that injuries involved the scooter were climbing rapidly. To add to the irony, James W. Heselden was riding a Segway when he was fatally injured.
Police in West Yorkshire, England, said the 62-year-old industrialist rode off a cliff near his home and fell into the River Wharfe. The police did not found the death suspicious and said it appeared to be accidental. Both Heselden's body and the two-wheeled scooter were recovered from the river.
The expensive, computerized scooters change direction depending on which way the driver leans. Introduced in 2001, sales were initially brisk but then fell off sharply. Lately, the scooters have been gaining some popularity among police and security guards and, more controversially, among tourists.
A study released last week found that injuries sustained while riding Segway transporters are significant and on the rise. The survey of emergency department visits was published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
The Segway may seem cool, but theres nothing cool about a head injury, said Mary Pat McKay, MD, MPH, FACEP, of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. One-quarter of the patients who came to our emergency department with Segway injuries were admitted to the hospital. Forty percent of the admitted patients were admitted to the ICU because they had traumatic brain injuries.
Researchers examined the records for 44 patients who came to the emergency department with injuries sustained while riding the Segway. Only seven percent of the patients had worn helmets, which are not required by law for Segway riders in Washington. The number of cases increased significantly over time, with three cases appearing in 2006, eight cases appearing in 2007 and 25 cases appearing in the first 11 months of 2008.
All of the injuries were sustained by riders simply falling off, mostly from striking an inanimate object, said Dr. McKay. Segways are pretty new to the marketplace and its often only as products become popular that the risks involved become apparent.
"We urge the Consumer Product Safety Commission to assign the Segway a unique product code and collect data on injuries sustained from riding the Segway so we can develop a clearer idea of the scope of the problem," McKay said. "In the meantime, all Segway riders should wear helmets and pay close attention to what is in front of and around them when riding.
Heselden bought Segway in January. He made his fortune with Hesco Bastion, a company that makes foldable protection containers used in industry and by the military.
