LONDON — A British businessman whose company makes the popular Segway upright "personal transporter" died when he rode one of the machines over a cliff and into a river, it was confirmed Monday.
Police in West Yorkshire, northern England, said the body of 62-year-old Jimi Heselden was found in the river Wharfe, at Boston Spa, near Wetherby, Sunday.
It appeared that Heselden had driven over a cliff into the river, reports said.
Heselden, who became a multimillionaire, was chairman of Hesco Bastion Ltd in Leeds, a leading manufacturer of protective barriers.
He bought U.S.-based Segway Inc. late last year. Segway was started by inventor Dean Kamen in 1999 after he developed the electric two-wheeled, self-balancing scooters.
Hesco Bastion confirmed in a statement that Heselden had died in a "tragic accident" near his home in West Yorkshire.