A BUSINESSMAN who died while apparently riding a Segway scooter built by his own company has left an estate of more than US$560 million to his family.

    Jimi Heselden, 62, was found in the River Wharfe at Boston Spa, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, after accidentally plunging from a 30ft cliff in September last year. His Segway was found nearby.

    It has been revealed that Heselden, who was one of the 400 richest people in the U.K., had left an estate of US$560 million to his widow Julie and other family members.

    The businessman made his fortune when his Leeds-based firm Hesco Bastion developed the revolutionary “blast wall” basket, which protect soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, as a replacement for traditional sandbags.

    The units have been used to protect soldiers in every major conflict since the first Gulf War and are seen as one of the U.K.’s most successful defence exports.

    They are also used for a range of non-military functions including flood management and erosion control.

    In December 2009, Heselden led a British team which bought the U.S.-based Segway firm, which makes and distributes the distinctive two-wheeled, self-balancing scooters.

    Former miner Heselden, who left school when he was 15, was known as much for his charity as he was for his massive fortune.

    The Leeds Community Foundation said he had donated US$38 million to causes in his home city since 2008 and he was also closely linked to the Help For Heroes charity, which supports injured military personnel.

    (SD-Agencies)