Noteboom The Law Firm

Wounded Warriors Given 1,000 Segways

October 8, 2010 - Jimi Heselden was a British philanthropist, a strong advocate for wounded warriors, and the owner of the Segway company. Unfortunately however, he also recently died suddenly and unexpectedly while riding a Segway. In keeping with his support for wounded warrior, Heselden made a sizeable donation to the Segs4Vets program prior to his death.

Heselden's donation of 1,000 Segways was worth over $5 million. Segs4Vets forwards the Segways to soldiers and veterans suffering service-related disabilities as a result of their deployment to either Iraq or Afghanistan. Since 2005, Seg4Vets have provided over 500 Segways to wounded soldiers and veterans.

Disability Rights Advocates For Technology (DRAFT) sponsors the Segs4Vets program. The program's founder, Jerry Kerr, celebrated Heselden and his contribution to the program. According to Kerr, Heselden's donation will allow Segs4Vets to increase the amount of Segway recipients threefold over the coming years.  

In many situations, Segways serve a greater purpose than wheelchairs. In many environments they are more adaptable for veterans suffering from disabilities leaving them with very limited mobility. Although federal law does not recognize Segways as medical devices, they have established a very loyal fan base among many disabled individuals.

For many disabled veterans, Segways allow them the ability to stand up and become more mobile than many thought possible.