Segway Company Owner Killed in Freak Segway Accident

The owner of the Segway company has been killed in a freak accident involving a Segway he was riding. INSIDE EDITION has the story.

It's a running gag in the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop—Kevin James zipping around on his Segway.

But now the joke has turned deadly after the millionaire owner of the Segway company was killed in a freak accident. He was riding a Segway on his huge English estate when he apparently lost control and went off an 80-foot cliff. His Segway, a special off-road version, was found next to the body.

Since it was launched in 2001, the Segway has become a part pop culture. It's used by many major police forces and tour groups. To move forward, you simply lean your body forward. To move right or left, you turn your body in that direction and the machine will follow. How do you stop the Segway? By simply standing up straight.

INSIDE EDITION's Diane McInerney asked Jimmy Reda, a Segway dealer in New York, how easy it is to maneuvre a Segway.

"It's very easy. It's the easiest thing I could teach you how to use," said Reda.

It all looks so easy in the promotional video. But over the years, several accidents involving Segways have been caught on tape and posted on Youtube.

America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan fell off one in Los Angeles in 2007. Ellen DeGeneres had a similar experience on her show. And former President George W. Bush generated horrible publicity for the machine when he took a tumble off a Segway.

But those mishaps pale, compared to the death of the company's owner, Jimi Heselden.

The Segway company released a statement calling Heselden's death a "tragic accident." Police say there are no signs of any foul play being involved.