Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Updated: Jan 31, 2023 / 03:49 PM MST. Michaud said he and Nakajjigo were two weeks shy of closing on a condo when the accident occurred, with hopes of owning a house down the road. Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. Opening arguments began Monday in Salt Lake City in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of a 25-year-old women's rights activist from Uganda who was killed by a wind-blown gate during a camping trip to Arches National Park in June 2020. 45 Join Insider . But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the U.S. government must pay her family more than $10 million in damages. What happened during the 2023 Utah Legislature. But an attorney for her parents and husband said they were grateful for the judgment, which represents the largest federal wrongful death verdict in Utah history, the Associated Press reported. A cruise employee has had his contract terminated after he was allegedly seen filming women from a female bathroom. Esther Nakajjigo was beheaded after the wind whipped a metal gate round cutting into the passenger side of the car, Esther Nakajjigo with her husband Ludovic Michaud, A picture of the gates that led to the young woman's death. A federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. will shell out more than $10 million in damages to the family of Esther Nakajjigo after she was killed in an accident at a Utah national park in. They argued that had employees installed the gate properly and secured it with an $8 padlock, Nakajjigos death could have been prevented, NBC News reported. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement, [] We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Recreation areas had recently opened after pandemic-era closures and, on the edge of Arches, a metal gate normally secured with a lock was left untethered. The family of Ugandan philanthropist Esther Nakajjigo, who was decapitated by a traffic gate in front of her husband in Arches National Park in Utah, has been awarded $10.5m. Ludovic Michaud and his new wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were driving around Arches National Park on a windy spring day in 2020 when a metal gate whipped around, sliced through the passenger door of. Credit: AP FILE - Delicate. The trial gave me and Essies family members an opportunity to tell Essies beautiful story, and it was so important to me to have the chance to stand up and speak for this amazing woman.. Nakajjigo donated her own college fund to start a hospital, Berndt said; she raised money for charities and never took a salary. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent Ugandan human rights activist killed in Arches National Park in 2020. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The claim, served Oct. 22, is seeking more than $270 million in damages from the National Park Service. She met Ludovic Michaud in Boulder, Colorado, when she went there for a leadership accelerator program in 2019, and the two of them married in March 2020. Arches National Park is best known for its pristine sandstone arches and its massive red Delicate Arch, which has featured in countless Instagram photos.. On October 22, Michaud filed a wrongful death claim against the US National Parks Service seeking . The National Park Service did not respond to repeated inquiries from NBC News, nor did Arches National Park Chief Ranger Scott Brown. Her husband, Michaud, is seeking $240 million in damages from the National Park Service, while Nakajjigo's family is seeking $30 million. Everything reminds Michaud of Nakajjigo. She was always willing to help, he said. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. When he inhaled the copper-tinged smell of blood, turned to figure out what it was and saw his beheaded wife. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didnt have a Bachelors degree. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Angeles Times Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do, Can't take statins? All times AEDT (GMT +11). Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. Esther Nakajjigo was driving with her newlywed husband on their honeymoon in Arches when an open road gate was swung by strong winds into their rental car. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. But an attorney for her parents and husband said they were grateful for the judgment, which represents the largest federal wrongful death verdict in Utah history. As the couple was leaving the park, gusts of wind swung the gate around rapidly, enough to slice through the passenger side door of the couples car, decapitating Nakajjigo as her husband sat feet away in the drivers seat. In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the Salt Lake Tribune. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations. Recreation areas had recently opened after pandemic-era closures and . The family of a human rights activist killed in a freak accident at Utah's Arches State Park won $10.5 million in damages from the U.S. government. First published on November 12, 2020 / 2:34 PM. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Ugandan newlywed Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was visiting Arches National Park in Utah in June 2020 when she was struck and killed by a metal pole attached to a traffic control gate. A newlywed Denver couple's road trip to Arches National Park in Utah this summer ended in . She was also awarded a full scholarship from the king of Buganda. It impaled their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. The metal gate at Arches National Park, normally secured with a lock, was left untethered. The newly married Michaud and Nakajjigo took a weekend trip to Arches National Park as a welcome break after months of lockdown amid the pandemic, court documents said. Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Courtesy Ludovic Michaud Nakajjigo. According to NBC, the claim was served Oct. 22, and alleges that if park employees had properly installed the gate to not swing into oncoming traffic or placed an $8 padlock on the gate to secure it from moving in the breeze, the world would not have lost a young woman influencer destined to become our societys future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates, or Oprah Winfrey.. SALT . The claim describes Nakajjigos final moments in graphic detail and says the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter.. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. I really wanted to show her Arches, he told Fox 13. The familys lawsuit claims when the national parks reopened in April 2020 after being shuttered due to Covid-19, rangers at the national park in Utah didnt secure the gate in place, which in effect turned a metal pipe into a spear that went straight through the side of a car, decapitating and killing Esther Nakajjigo. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. Nakajjigo and her husband Ludovic Michaud were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the region's national parks months after their wedding. The gate narrowly avoided Michaud, who was left covered head to toe in his wife's blood. One of his regrets is not saying, "I love you," one more time. A woman who had married her husband only three months ago has died after a horror crash saw a car park gate swing through the couple's car and cut off her head. Ludovic Michaud, the husband of late human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, has filed a $270 million wrongful death administrative claim against the National Park Service, according to a report by NBC News, following a June accident at Arches National Park near Moab. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. Esther Nakajjigo had been visiting Utah's Arches National Park when she was killed by a gate caught in the wind. "On behalf of the United States, we again extend our condolences to Ms. Nakajjigos friends, family and beloved community. One, Saving Innocence, depicted teenage girls from urban areas helping teen moms in rural communities go back to school. 2023 EHM Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. At age 17, Nakajjigo. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. I felt completely meaningless after losing Nakajjigo, he said. In pink tops and white pants, women celebrate free period products becoming available in Utahs state buildings, Proposal to boost Utah bar licenses gets smaller with another round of cuts by lawmakers, Moab, Park City cry foul as Utah lawmakers target rules for vacation homes. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, the husband of Esther Nakajjigo told NBC News in an exclusive interview. November 12, 2020 / 2:34 PM At other points, he dabbed at his eyes; he lived like a student before meeting Nakajjigo, he said, but she turned their apartment into a home. Esther Nakajjigo was a Ugandan human rights activist and newlywed wife when the 25-year-old was killed at Arches National Park in 2020, decapitated by an unsecured gate that is now at the center of a wrongful death trial. The sum they are seeking has not been disclosed, however a previous claim filed by the family against the National Park Service which is the step before a lawsuit can be filed asked for more than $A351 million. What if he hadn't suggested the trip. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, pose at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. Drenched in his wifes blood, Michaud instinctively jumped out of the slowly moving car after impact, then got back in to put it in park. Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo's husband and parents initially filed a $270 million claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death What if he hadn't suggested the trip to Arches? The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent Ugandan human rights activist killed in Arches National Park in 2020. Nakajjigo was. Nakajjigo worked on fundraising to open a hospital in an underserved part of Kampala, Ugandas capital, became a philanthropic celebrity and immigrated to the United States for a fellowship at the Boulder, Colorado-based Watson Institute for emerging leaders. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. The women's rights activist from Uganda was 25 when, during a camping trip to Arches National Park in June 2020, she was beheaded by a metal gate that blew closed in strong winds and sliced through the side of the car she was riding in. According to a court filing, the National Park Service and Arches National Park created a lethal and undetectable danger with the gate, which turned a metal pipe into a spear that went straight through the side of a car, decapitating and killing Esther Nakajjigo.. The family of a womens rights activist who was killed in a gruesome accident at a national park is suing a US agency over her tragic death. afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss en fonction de vos profils de centres dintrt; mesurer lefficacit des publicits et contenus personnaliss; et. Throughout the trial, attorneys debated estimates of Nakajjigos earnings potential. The 25-year-old human rights activist and newlywed wife. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. She was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. Photo: Esther Nakajjigo/Twitter. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. Ms McGinn described Nakajjigo as a prominent womens rights activist who rose from poverty to become the host of a solutions-oriented reality television series in Uganda focused on empowering women around issues such as education and healthcare. In their legal complaint, Michaud and Nakajjigos parents said the National Park Service was negligent for not maintaining the gate. The family of a womens rights activist who was decapitated in an accident on a trip with her new husband has sued the US government agency responsible for the park where she died. Picture: Handout The family of a women's rights activist who was decapitated in an accident on a trip with her new husband has sued the US government agency responsible for the park where she died. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. The trip to the wind-weathered sandstone of Arches National Park was supposed to be a celebration a chance for Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, to show his new wife one of his favorite landmarks. Instead, "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter." "You bear no responsibility. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. Get Toofab breaking news sent right to your browser! The French national said he and his wife, who had only been married for three months and lived in Denver, Colorado, had been on a hike and had lunch before driving out of the park. They had a courthouse ceremony in March, with plans to throw a big wedding in Uganda once it was safe to travel again. Its still hard to concentrate, but I try to.. The gate had been unsecured for the previous two weeks, despite national park requirements that prohibit gates from swinging, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court. Ms Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludo Michaud, 26, were driving out of the scenic parks carpark when wind caught the unlatched gate and the metal pole on top sliced through the side of their rental car and hit Ms Nakajjigo in the head and neck, killing her instantly. The United States will pay family members of a Ugandan human rights activist killed in an accident at Arches National Park more than $10 million in damages, a federal judge ruled Monday. She later created a pair of reality television shows designed to empower women. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. "The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Uganda's 'Young Personality of the Year,'" the Post reported. "The National Park Service has, in fact, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous condition," the claim states. 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Ludovic Michaud was driving around the scenic red rock landscapes of Utah's Arches National Park on a windy spring day in 2020 when something unthinkable happened: A metal gate whipped around,. They had wanted three children. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Ms Chang described the part of the gate that struck Ms Nakajjigo as being like a metal spear or a lance and hit the car in literally a split second. Esther Nakajjigo was born in poverty in Kampala, Uganda, and rose to become a celebrated human rights activist through her work focusing on preventing teen pregnancy. The. Nakajjigo received numerous international accolades and awards and had come to the United States to further her education, participating in programs at Drexel University in Philadelphia as a Mandela Washington Fellow and at the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, where she was the recipient of a Luff Peace Fellowship.