Fall off

[spyderman]

I have heard a couple of folks on this board mention falling with a segway. Is this a common occurance or is it rare? Is terrain the culprit or rider error? Do you have experience in this area, if so, what is the story. Thanks

[wwhopper]

It's like riding a horse, you are not considered a real equestrian until you have fallen off of your steed 7 times.

How many falls from an HT does it take to make you a glider?

I have taken at least 5 - 2 of them could have resulted in serious injury! All of them were while I was "horseing" around. One was right before I went on TV! A very quick recovery there!

I have been a lot more careful since then. But all it takes is one moment when you are not paying attention to what you are doing.

Will W Hopper
DCSEG Member
Come out to the Mid-Atlantic Regional SEG America Event - SegwayFest - DC Sept 23-25 in Washington DC - The Most Segway Friendly City in America!

[Stan671]

I have never fallen. I have had to step off of the machine very quickly twice, but never a crash. [knock on wood]

The causes of a fall are varied as the terrain and rider abilities and attentiveness.

Stan Dobrowski

[ElectraGlide]

I fell the first week I owned a machine...almost 2 1/2 years ago. I hit a rise-bump in the pavement with only the right wheel and it threw me off balance. The machine seemed to have spun around about 1/4 turn very quickly tossing me off. The whole event happened SO fast and unexpected that I hit the ground hard. I was ok with some a bruise to my leg, head, and ego! The machine needed a new right grip...so I had the handlebar replaced.
To answer your question I would say it was a TERRAIN factor. Gotta keep the eyes open for any hazards.

Steve

[Dragan]

I've only fallen once, and that was enough. Very early in my gliding career I was riding my p on an icy and snow covered road, slight uphill rise. Hit a patch of ice with one wheel, and was on the ground in an instant. The bad part was I had enough time to get my right arm straight out so my hand hit the ground first; end result was a torn rotator cuff, to be surgically repaired later this year.

If there's a silver lining to the black cloud, I have a first hand appreciation of how easy, and potentially violent, a fall can be, and I impart that to each of my customers. It's pretty easy to get caught up by the benign appearance of the Segway, and the ensuing confidence that it will always perform very predictably under every circumstance.

It's a machine, and it can bite you. I think it's important to tell people truthfully how you fell, so that they can avoid similar (painful) mistakes.
Wayne

Segway of Alberta - Calgary
www.mysegway.ca

[Socrates]

Answering spiderman's question I would say it is a rider error. You have to watch where You go. Only the rider can see the danger of possibly loosing traction or getting a wheel caught in a pothole.

Answering Will's question (How many falls from an HT does it take to make you a glider?) I would say each fall makes You a glider, gliding through the air... ;)

Alexander

[pam]

Yes, mine certainly was rider error. I hit a 4" curb on one wheel, which caused the HT to tip. One of the three typical causes of spills - tips, trips and slips.
And mine was after 2.5 years of gliding. You know, when you begin to feel invincible <G>. Now I just remind myself - focused forward!
Pam

[Sal]

I have had one fall, but several "almosts," but I managed to hang on they were all my fault. The fall was my fault: hot-dogging, the others were also my fault, not paying attention to my surroundings.

-Sal

Think Different
www.apple.com

[fredkap]

All of the postings on this thread have been appropriate but beware product liability attorneys will be reading this thread. Their interests may not agree with our own. I know of an individual that hurt himself while walking his dog on a lease and hit a pothole. He may sue LLC. Product liability insurance must be affordable for LLC to survive.

Fred

[pam]

I think that what most of us have allowed is that the problems that all of us have had have been rider error. I may be wrong, but I think it's good to remind people that they need to remain focused as riders. Certainly, LLC tells us in the safety video and in their writings that we have to be focused. Does anyone remember the early threads about whether it was good or bad to walk dogs on a leash riding a Segway? I'd guess a good 90% of the people were against it - since you can't really control a dog. And you're certainly not focused on gliding when you've got a dog to be alert for.

Although I would not deprive a person of a right to sue for being truly wronged, I do regret a trend I see of people refusing to take responsibility for their own actions.

Pam

[Mr_Laurenzano]

They dont call me crash for nothing. I have wiped it a bunch of times and it is surmontablly opperator error, and terrian. The segway HT has played no part in any accident. When you tell it to jump it jumps. EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!


Segway-
Half the speed of a car,
Twice as Smart.

[SegwayUtah]

I have not heard of anyone falling off a Segway HT due to any fault in the Segway HT itself (excepting running out of battery in the earliest of HTs, which was fixed by a software upgrade).

My experience is that people who follow the instructions which came with the HT will enjoy a long, fun, and incident-free Segway riding experience.

Chris

[Chapinville]

I have fallen once. I was traveling over a grassy lawn and hit a hole in the ground. I didn't see it as the grass in the hole had been mowed to the same level as the grass around it. In a second I was on the ground. Embarrassed but unhurt. I avoid riding on grass now. Some things you just cant see until it's too late. I want to use my HT for golf but.....[xx(]

http://members.cox.net/katelyn.moore/segwaywheelsmall.jpg

[adobephile]

quote:Originally posted by spyderman

I have heard a couple of folks on this board mention falling with a segway. Is this a common occurance or is it rare? Is terrain the culprit or rider error? Do you have experience in this area, if so, what is the story. Thanks


It's most definitely rider error.

First of all, this is an example of why physics is (or was) a required subject in school, and why you should have paid attention in class.

What's at work (all the time) on a Segway is PHYSICS. Forces, counter forces, and momenta, linear and angular. The mass of your body and the mass of the machine are in fairly good unison most of the time. But you have to be flexible enough to absorb various fluctuations in the machine. That's why they say on the video to keep your knees slightly bent. You also have to let that control shaft do what it needs to do as the machine rolls over uneven surfaces. You have to learn how to hold onto the handles "just enough" so as not to fight the lateral thrashing back and forth.

Most all of my close calls were when I went over uneven dips where one wheel did more changing than the other. This forced the machine to suddenly go in a different direction. This makes it difficult for your body to follow along. The body tends to go in its own different direction, causing at least a loss of balance if not a fall.

The main impression is that the Segway is a docile, compliant machine for the most part, but with a "dark side" which rears its head seemingly unexpectedly. But I would say that the more one knows how the machine works, down to the various workings of its component parts and systems, the less likely he or she will get into trouble.

"Permeate" the machine as much as you can and adopt sensible habits which respect its operational characteristics, and you'll most likely have few, if any, mishaps.





"The job of art is to chase ugliness away."
Bono, U2.
From a personal appearance
at an Apple Computer music event.
October 26, 2004

Daniel Swanson
http://www.van-garde.com

[joelkfla]

My first 2 falls were when I was a novice rider and caught the outside edge of a tire on a wall or doorway, which puts the HT into a wicked spin. The second was the most embarrassing, as it happened in the office while carrying a cup of coffee, which ended up all over the floor and a partition. That one got the HT banned from riding in the office, though I'm still allowed to walk it to my desk and park it there during the day.

Since then, I've fallen maybe 3 times, most recently just this past Memorial Day. All of those were on transitions from grass to curb, where I misjudged the height of the curb above the grass surface and hit it at a bad angle. No damage to the machine other than cosmetic, and no damage to myself other than some road rash and bruises on my hands and knees.

[macgeek]

I have never FALLEN, but In my early days. I ran over a coke bottle, and the segway bucked, I was able to dismount in time.

Then I was flat faced BY my segway, were I was off of it and tried nudging it up a curb in rider mode, it got confused, went backwards hitting me in the shins, and knocking me off balence.

I have hit some NYC potholes, one almost threw me. My fault I wasn't watching the road.

Jonathan


"Think outside the car"

[pam]

quote:
First of all, this is an example of why physics is (or was) a required subject in school, and why you should have paid attention in class.


Never required in my school - nor was chemistry, as I recall. I managed to get a masters degree without either (not that this is something I'm proud of, mind you, just stating a fact).

That said, the rest of your post sure matches my experience - and I would add that even after you feel you know your machine inside out, you still have to pay close attention - because the riding surface is the independent variable in every case.
Pam

[spyderman]

Thank you for some very straight forward and informative comments. I think the info has helped.

[KSagal]

quote:Originally posted by wwhopper

It's like riding a horse, you are not considered a real equestrian until you have fallen off of your steed 7 times.

Will W Hopper
DCSEG Member
Come out to the Mid-Atlantic Regional SEG America Event - SegwayFest - DC Sept 23-25 in Washington DC - The Most Segway Friendly City in America!


Wait a minute... I taught skydiving for over 10 years... I did use my reserve chute a few times, but I never...

I don't think this rule goes to all sports or endevours...

I dropped the unit in the first 2 weeks of ownership, and stepped off at the time. I Fell once in the first 2 months of ownership, but there is still question in my mind as to why, was it me or the machine? It has since been upgraded in software level and changed from red to blue button. The odds are very much in my favor as being the culprit.

I have not been off the machine since. Accidents can happen, and I play a fair amount, but falls are not inevitable.

I might also remind people that I have never heard of a car accident that was not operator error. If you turn the wheel, the wheels turn, if you hit the brakes, the car slows. (I do not confuse this with poor maintnance, ... the brakes were getting worse and worse, but I kept driving and eventually they stopped working... or I was driving 50 MPH on this dark and stormy night and all the sudden there was a tree in the road... )

Operator error includes poor judgement and driving beyond your skill level. An overly casual attitude is a dangerous as a hot dog one...

Karl Ian Sagal

Each road you travel should be just a bit better for having had you pass.

[SegwayUtah]

quote:Originally posted by KSagal

I might also remind people that I have never heard of a car accident that was not operator error. If you turn the wheel, the wheels turn, if you hit the brakes, the car slows. (I do not confuse this with poor maintnance, ... the brakes were getting worse and worse, but I kept driving and eventually they stopped working... or I was driving 50 MPH on this dark and stormy night and all the sudden there was a tree in the road... )

Well, except for hybrid cars which can suddenly and unexpectedly shut down in heavy traffic at freeway speeds :)

. . . and cars with defective brakes which won't engage, etc.

I'm glad the Segway HT has redundant systems, and looks out for my safety. Two cheers for that.

Chris