As recreation areas in eastern Utah reopened that summer, Michaud was excited to take his new wife to Arches National Park, and the two drove there in June. The metal gate at Arches National Park, normally secured with a lock, was left untethered. Even simple tasks like cooking rice stored in a jar that Nakajjigo bought before her death feel paralyzing, he said. 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.. 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.. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. IE 11 is not supported. She later created a pair of reality television shows designed to empower women. The claim she served is legally required before a lawsuit can be filed in court. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. 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. (Julie Jacobson | AP file photo) A Denver man has filed a $270 million wrongful death claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, against the National Park Service after a metal gate at Arches National Park collided collided with his car on June 13, killing his wife. What if he hadn't suggested the trip to Arches? / CBS Colorado. 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. Nakajjigo had been celebrated for using money earmarked for her college tuition to instead open a nonprofit community health center in Uganda at age 17. "You bear no responsibility. SALT LAKE CITY 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. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement . Esther Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud) Nakajjigo, 25, was a Ugandan human rights activist and moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder. "I'll respond as soon as I'm able," Jenkins said. All rights reserved. Michaud hopes he and Nakajjigos family can continue her legacy. Yet park employees could have done a lot, the claim alleges, including taking note during inspections of the gate that it posed a danger and putting an inexpensive padlock on it. They stipulate, however, that the plaintiffs should be awarded $22,508 for Nakajjigo's funeral expenses and $5,000 for Michaud's therapy expenses. Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together.. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. The claim alleged that had park employees used an $8 padlock to secure the gate from moving in the breeze, it could have avoided the victim being "needlessly decapitated.". In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. They said you have to lock it or its going to impale a car, so everyone knows, Chang said. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. Nakajjigo, 25, was a Ugandan human rights activist and moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder. Continuing her work brings him hope; he's already started a nonprofit in her name, the Esther Nakajjigo Foundation. Nakajjigo created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. Instead, the Utah park became the site of a horrific accident that killed her. A cruise employee has had his contract terminated after he was allegedly seen filming women from a female bathroom. Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her . In their legal complaint, Michaud and Nakajjigos parents said the National Park Service was negligent for not maintaining the gate. The federal trial began Monday in Utah, where the husband and family of Nakajjigo are seeking $140 million in damages from the U.S. government, arguing in a complaint that the national park was negligent and failed to properly maintain the gate. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. In 2020, Ludovic Michaud was driving with his 25-year-old wife Esther Nakajjigo out of Utah's Arches National Park to get ice cream on June 13 when a metal gate swung into the car and cut her. Courtesy of. 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. The gate reportedly smashed through the side of the car and struck Nakajjigo . Recreation areas had recently opened after pandemic-era closures and . 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. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband were visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. SALT . At age 17, Nakajjigo was recognized by the United Nations for her work for women, according to the claim. 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. I really wanted to show her Arches, he told Fox 13. The amount was far less than the $140 million Nakajjigos family originally sought. They argued that had employees installed the gate properly and secured it with an $8 padlock, Nakajjigos death could have been prevented, This decision serves as a reminder of the importance of proper maintenance and safety measures in our national parks, so as to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, Michaud said in, on Monday. 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. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. 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. What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. Cruise staffer fired after shock bathroom act, Passengers injured as turbulence rocks plane. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on June 13, 2020, when a traffic control gate blew into her rental car at Arches National Park in the US state of Utah. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was driving around the stunning Arches National Park in Utah, US, in 2020 along with her husband Ludovic Michaud when the unthinkable happened. Itd be like me pointing a piece of paper to you on its most narrow side. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. The National Park Service did not respond to repeated inquiries from NBC News, nor did Arches National Park Chief Ranger Scott Brown. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement, [] They had wanted three children. 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. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, pose at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. Updated: Jan 31, 2023 / 03:49 PM MST. Michaud was the last plaintiff witness in the civil trial over the June 13, 2020, death of his wife, Esther Nakajjigo. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. Lindsay Whitehurst/AP Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was driving around the stunning Arches National Park in Utah, US, in 2020 along with her husband Ludovic Michaud when the unthinkable happened. The gruesome nature of Nakajjigo's death and the fact that she was a renowned Ugandan women's rights activist drew widespread attention to the case. The suit was filed last. 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. I couldnt work properly for a couple of months. Her mother flew to Utah from Uganda to attend the trial this week. After seeing a pregnant 14-year-old girl die during a difficult delivery, Nakajjigo decided to use her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center that provided free reproductive health services to females aged 10-24. There is a lot of small things I miss.. I was a couple of inches from dying, but I didnt, and right now I have a mission: Its to make sure what shes done continues.. November 12, 2020 / 2:34 PM Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. According to Deborah Chang, the Los Angeles-based trial attorney representing Michaud, there was nothing he could have done to swerve out of the way of the gate that killed his wife and narrowly missed him. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. In court, Michaud described his relationship with Nakajjigo as the best time of his life., It feels lonely, and thats hard. Michaud was not injured in the accident, but he was covered head-to-toe in his wifes blood. 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. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The United States will pay family members of a Ugandan human rights activist killed in an accident at Arches National Park more than . She met Michaud on Tinder in 2019, when she was attending a leadership program in Boulder, Colorado. Credit: AP FILE - Delicate. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. The couple was leaving a park parking lot to get ice cream when a metal traffic control gate swung into the road, piercing the passenger side of the couples rental car and severing Nakajjigos head. 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. Esther Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud). Nakajjigo, who went by Essie, was a womens rights champion in Uganda. 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. 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. "On behalf of the family, we are very appreciative of the judge's attention to detail, the time he spent working on this, and for the value he put on the loss to this family of Essie," added Littlepage. Courtesy Ludovic Michaud Nakajjigo. She rose from poverty to become the host of a solutions-oriented reality television series in Uganda focused on empowering women on issues such as education and healthcare, and had successfully raised funds to build health care facilities in her hometown. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it, she told Fox 13. afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss en fonction de vos profils de centres dintrt; mesurer lefficacit des publicits et contenus personnaliss; et. By his verdict, Judge Bruce Jenkins has shown the world how the American justice system works to hold its own government accountable and greatly values all lives, including that of Esther Nakajjigo, a remarkable young woman from Uganda, Randi McGinn, the familys attorney said in a statement. 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. Instead of planning their future together, Michaud is now processing the trauma and grief of Nakajjigos gruesome death and hoping the lawsuit his attorney plans to file will save other families from experiencing what he did. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. This decision serves as a reminder of the importance of proper maintenance and safety measures in our national parks, so as to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, Michaud said in a statement to CBS News on Monday. 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. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. Nakajjigo was killed instantly. Everything reminds Michaud of Nakajjigo. By age 25, when she died, she had accomplished more than most people do in an entire lifetime and had much more to do with her life, court documents state. He was "instantly covered with blood," the complaint says. 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.. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud visited the park in mid June. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. She was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. The wind whipped a metal gate round which sliced through the passenger door of the car and decapitated Esther. Photo: Esther Nakajjigo/Twitter. What if he hadn't suggested the trip. Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. On June 13, 2020, Nakajjigo, who was riding in the passenger seat as her husband drove them out of the park, was suddenly decapitated when the triangular, metal gate swung around and sliced into their rental car. 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. In the opening statements of the wrongful death lawsuit, attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigos family recounted the moment Michaud realised his wife had been killed. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. McGinn argued that the smaller projections were based on categories of evaluation not allowed for under Utah law. One series reportedly had a weekly audience of 6.3 million viewers. One, Saving Innocence, depicted teenage girls from urban areas helping teen moms in rural communities go back to school. The smaller projection takes into account only the averages of a statistical black woman, she said; while the higher projections factor in that Nakajjigo was a real, extraordinary person. Just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., Michaud, a video streaming technology solution architect who is originally from France, and Nakajjigo decided they wanted to marry. What happened during the 2023 Utah Legislature. The gate had been left unlatched against federal policy for two weeks prior to the tragic accident in June 2020. When she was 17, she donated her university tuition money to start a private, nonprofit community health center that she named the Princess Diana Health Centre. The large monetary damages being sought on behalf of Michaud and Nakajjigos parents are a reflection of the suffering they have gone through plus the loss of Nakajjigos future income and fundraising abilities, Chang said. The closing arguments came after five days of trial that included testimony from Nakajjigo's family, friends and mentors, as well as from bystanders who witnessed the accident. 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. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. 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. I know all the parks around Moab Its one of my favourite places in the US, if not my favourite place.. The wind whipped a metal. 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. I felt completely meaningless after losing Nakajjigo, he said. Esther Nakajjigo was a prominent Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in Utah's Arches National Park in 2020. 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,. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the Salt Lake Tribune. 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. Additionally, Berndt said the plaintiffs can only speculate on what Nakajjigo might have done had she lived, and the court can't ignore that "in favor of dreams and potential.". Ms Nakajjigo met Mr Michaud after she relocated to the US, where she was awarded the Luff Peace Fellowship by the University of Boulder in Colorado. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax 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.. 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. 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. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. "Because (Nakajjigo) is off the charts, you can't use the charts to evaluate her," McGinn said. Diana Dasrath is entertainment producer and senior reporter for NBC News covering all platforms. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. She was particularly passionate about reducing teenage pregnancy and created two reality television shows that empowered women. 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. According to the official statement from Wilson Jaga, the communications head for the office of the Ugandan Women and Girls, Nakajjigo was hit by a metallic gate of the Arches National Park due. . Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud, 26, were driving to get ice cream during a camping trip June 13 when a metal gate blew closed in strong winds and sliced . The family of a women's rights activist from Uganda has filed a $270 million administrative claim against the National Park Service after she was killed by an . The ongoing trial will largely focus on determining the damages that may go to her family and Michaud. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didnt have a Bachelors degree. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. The lawsuit was filed about a year after Nakajjigo was killed in June 2020, when wind apparently caused the unsecured, metal gate on the parks main road to swing around and strike her and her husbands car, decapitating her. Because neither the U.S. nor Nakajjigos family disputed the facts of the case, the civil suit focused largely on the amount of damages merited. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a . Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her car, killing her immediately as her husband sat in the seat next to her. John Ssenkindu, Esther's brother, told journalists that her sister was hit by a metallic gate of the Arches National Park in the US . But when she met Michaud in June 2019 in Aurora, Colorado, through a dating app, he just saw her as a smart person who loved to laugh. Theres a newsletter that went out to all the parks and the National Park Service that warned of this decades ago. Chang expects to file the lawsuit in about six months. But now, Michaud said, he returns to an apartment that doesn't feel like a home. A family is getting $10 million in the wrongful death of Ugandan human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, who was decapitated by a swinging metal gate in Arches National Park, Utah. They were driving toward the exit when suddenly a gust of wind lifted a metal gate and the arm swung into the roadway. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it.. The gate narrowly avoided Michaud, who was left covered head to toe in his wife's blood. He said he didnt deny Nakajjigo was an extraordinary person, but argued it was difficult to speculate what kind of work she would have gone on to do. This is not the first time a tragedy like this has happened. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah.