The millionaire owner of the Segway company, Jimi Heselden, was killed recently when he drove an all-terrain Segway off a cliff near his home in northern England. British newspapers are reporting that Heselden might have lost control while backing up to make way for a pedestrian on a bridal path near his home. Whatever the circumstances, will this tragedy spell doom for an already struggling company?
Segway might not bounce back: The death of the boss while using his own product, says Aimee Picchi at Daily Finance, is any company's "worst marketing nightmare." But Segway was already battling "safety concerns and poor consumer perception," with most people wincing at its $6,000 sticker price and clinging to the memory of George W. Bush's Segway mishap in 2003. This tragedy will be very difficult to overcome.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
