Segway Cracks Marble in
Historic Office Building
During "Safety" Demonstration

If a Segway scooter can crack a marble panel, imagine what it
could do to the bones of an elderly person!

Historic Office Building survived the 1906 Earthquake when most others collapsed or burned.

The 1906 Earthquake destroyed almost all of the downtown office buildings in San Francisco. One of the very to survive is pictured on the left. The foreground is littered with the rubble of other less sturdy buildings. The building is also unique because it has marble paneling that is a century old.

Unfortunately, the marble paneling did not fare so well when it encountered a Segway scooter the end of October. Karen Skelton, a highly paid lobbyist for Segway was demonstrating how "safe" the devices were to Transportation for a Livable City and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

One person rode the Segway and got too close to the wall of the hallway, became scared, and jumped off. Karen, the lobbyist, explained that people are supposed to be able to jump off and that the Segway scooter automatically stops, preventing anyone from getting injured. She then demonstrated how safe the scooter was by riding it down the hallway (at about 6mph) and stepping off. The scooter didn't just stop though. It continued down the hallway for a couple of seconds and crashed into the end of the hall with such a loud sound it scared people. The result is the crack seen below. And Segway claims that the device is safe for a pedestrian environment????

Segway cracks marble panel. Click on image for enlarged view.

Close up view of crack. Click on image for enlarged view.