Gentlemen, start your lawyers!
May 9, 2002 7:33 AM   Subscribe

Gentlemen, start your lawyers! The Segway claims its first victim in Atlanta.
posted by Dirjy (32 comments total)
 
And I'm sure the automobile took longer then this to have it's first injury...right?

I would be interested in the facts of the accident. Was he riding the Segway correctly? Much as you would when riding a bike, was he wearing protective pads on his knees and elbows?
posted by JaxJaggywires at 7:46 AM on May 9, 2002


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
posted by wsfinkel at 7:51 AM on May 9, 2002


Awesome picture!
posted by spilon at 7:56 AM on May 9, 2002


Much as you would when riding a bike, was he wearing protective pads on his knees and elbows?

Much as who would? When?

Okay, seriously, if you were doing tricks or something, sure. I don't think people typically use knee pads and elbow pads when they're, say, commuting, or simply riding recreationally. I've never seen knee pads on a bike cop, either.

And anyway, the hype is that riding IT is "just like walking," and most people don't wear protective pads while walking, either.

I'm not saying they wouldn't have helped, I'm just saying he didn't want to look like a wuss.

(And, yeah, that picture is classic.)
posted by gohlkus at 8:09 AM on May 9, 2002


Ooohhhh, nuts! I had Palm Beach. Who had Atlanta?
posted by planetkyoto at 8:10 AM on May 9, 2002


Can you do rail slides on one of these things? Frankly I'll wait until they have a model where you can get up some good speed and oly over a trash can.
posted by KnitWit at 8:12 AM on May 9, 2002


Let the record show that this thing happened here at this place on this date, and hopefully we'll avoid the kind of ambiguity that surrounds the world's first automobile accident.
posted by luser at 8:15 AM on May 9, 2002


Who didn't see that Segway picture and have their brain almost instantly flood their head with a little slice of television past :
"I've fallen! And I can't get up!"
posted by dong_resin at 8:23 AM on May 9, 2002


that has made me smile. sorry the guy hurt himself an' all but still.
classic.
posted by Frasermoo at 8:31 AM on May 9, 2002


And anyway, the hype is that riding IT is "just like walking," and most people don't wear protective pads while walking, either.

Maybe they should. According to this table, there were 185 pedestrian fatalities in Atlanta in 1997-1998. From the related article:

And walking is far more dangerous than driving or flying, per mile traveled...for each mile traveled, walking is 36 times more dangerous than driving, and over 300 times more dangerous than flying.

(Which is probably a dumb way of thinking about it - I'd rather see danger per amount of time spent travelling.)
posted by straight at 8:34 AM on May 9, 2002


new for playstation 2; tony hawk's pro segway!
hi-res features include blood smears on the pavement from bailed tricks and little old ladies' shopping bags caught in the wheels...
posted by sixtwenty3dc at 8:40 AM on May 9, 2002


And walking is far more dangerous than driving or flying, per mile traveled...for each mile traveled, walking is 36 times more dangerous than driving, and over 300 times more dangerous than flying.

Walking in Atlanta, sure. You get hit by a car when you're not in one yourself and it's gonna fricking hurt.
posted by Foosnark at 8:45 AM on May 9, 2002


Is the Segway okay? They paid over $9000 for each one.

(For that price you could buy a lot of bicycles or a cheap Korean car.)
posted by panopticon at 9:07 AM on May 9, 2002


It never ceases to amaze me how many ways Atlanta residents find of hurting themselves when it comes to moving objects. Why are we so stupid?
posted by pooldemon at 9:15 AM on May 9, 2002


"...injured his knee going up a driveway onto the sidewalk...."

He probably should have used the ramp instead?
posted by brownpau at 9:21 AM on May 9, 2002


I think this is an obvious case of Atlanta failing to redesign their city around the Segway.
posted by UncleFes at 9:26 AM on May 9, 2002


<nelsonvoice>
Ha Ha!
</userdefined>
posted by tommasz at 9:35 AM on May 9, 2002


"Gentlemen, start your lawyers." is a damn funny headline, and that picture of the dude crashed out on the ground with the mother-policeman coming to put a bandaid on his knee is classic. Excellent.
posted by dr_emory at 9:51 AM on May 9, 2002


So the guy that was injured is a member of the "Central Atlanta Progress Ambassador Force"?!?! Is that newspeak for "police officer" or "security guard" or something else entirely? Whichever, it is an absolutely insane use of the English language...very, very weird.
posted by mr_roboto at 9:56 AM on May 9, 2002


Dirjy - lawyers won't have much to do with this situation since the City of Atlanta is fairly insulated and immune to civil liability situations such as this one.

Uncle Fes is exactly right. I live in a loft on the street where this accident happened. It's a old historical district and while very charming these old streets are not very conducive for pedestrians, skateboarders, skaters, segwayers and especially dumptrucks where you never know when the street will fall out from under you.

I'm not really sure why the Atlanta Ambassadors need these tools to get around anyway. This is one of the few areas in Atlanta that is meant for walking and they do a great job here mainly in terms of visibility if nothing else.

Plus maybe the guy just didn't have the right amount of Coriolis force to handle the machine.
posted by oh posey at 9:58 AM on May 9, 2002


"Central Atlanta Progress Ambassador Force"?!?!

Those guys in safari hats and shorts who stand around on the corners in pairs and give directions. It's called Southern hospitality.

They cannot arrest you.
posted by oh posey at 10:08 AM on May 9, 2002


You sure he's not with the Central Atlanta Gravity Demonstration Force?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:26 AM on May 9, 2002


I used to live in Atlanta, and I worked one building over from the main (I think) CAP office.

Essentially, these folks are employed to stand around street corners downtown to a) give directions and do "good samaritan" kinda stuff and b) act as eyes and ears for the city. Downtown Atlanta used to be a ghost town due to all the petty crime and agressive drunks. CAP was suppossed to help make the city more palatable for tourists who came and stayed in downtown hotels. It worked, but mainly their job was to stand around on corners and smile. What in the world CAP needs Segways for I have no idea.

And, um, anyone else find it a little odd that this radical new transporation device was done in by a driveway...
posted by emptyage at 12:16 PM on May 9, 2002


Real Applications

Most of America's urban environment is probably ill-suited for the Segway...

dum de dum dum
posted by oh posey at 12:27 PM on May 9, 2002


Nice one UncleFes.
posted by glenwood at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2002


Is it so hard to accept mopeds as a viable, less dumb alternative to Segways?
Europeans are partial to Vespas and stuff like that, maybe it's not a bad idea.
posted by matteo at 1:11 PM on May 9, 2002


I think Kamen is banking on the idea that as the population ages, there's going to be a big market for souped-up walkers, and lots of baby-boomers with bad hips who want to zoom around their retirement communities. Just a guess.
posted by oddovid at 2:23 PM on May 9, 2002


Those guys in safari hats and shorts who stand around on the corners in pairs and give directions. It's called Southern hospitality.

Punter: Excuse me, can you show me the way to Thingy?

CAPAF Guy: Certainly sir, walk this way.

[The punter then follows CAPAF guy off the side of a cliff his runaway segway]

You have cliffs in Atlanta right? Not even little ones?
posted by vbfg at 2:49 PM on May 9, 2002


A member of the Central Atlanta Progress Ambassador Force toppled from one of the personal scooters on Cone Street near Luckie Street about 8:40 p.m. Thursday.
I just love the use of the word "toppled".
The event in my imagination becomes dreamy, plays out in slow motion. From the height of his segway this man fell like a mighty oak, like a colossus, like a corrupt regime. Beautiful. Plenty of time to think to oneself "I am toppling! I am falling like a tree!
Been there.
And then that picture. He's still on the ground when help arrives, and no-one has pinched his scooter!
Perfect. As someone who has a "thing" about falling down, this made my day.
posted by Catch at 4:06 PM on May 9, 2002


And, um, anyone else find it a little odd that this radical new transporation device was done in by a driveway...

Christine!!
posted by owillis at 4:23 PM on May 9, 2002


straight: Margaret Mitchell died after being hit by a car in Atlanta.
posted by raysmj at 5:29 PM on May 9, 2002


You know what would be cool?

A segway with a machine gun. That would be cool. It would be good for urban combat. I can see it now ("Move in the 5th segway devision!")
posted by delmoi at 3:15 AM on May 10, 2002


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