The. 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. When he inhaled the copper-tinged smell of blood, turned to figure out what it was and saw his beheaded wife. I really wanted to show her Arches, he told Fox 13. Everything reminds Michaud of Nakajjigo. Continuing her work brings him hope; he's already started a nonprofit in her name, the Esther Nakajjigo Foundation. 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. 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. Get Toofab breaking news sent right to your browser! Nelson, the governments attorney, has said an appropriate award would be $3.5million (2.9m). 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. Sign up today. Nakajjigo was killed instantly. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. 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. Michaud, Nakajjigo's husband, spoke about the intense trauma he's endured since his wife's death, including sleeplessness, nightmares and suicidal ideation. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told 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 head off, according to a wrongful death administrative claim obtained by NBC News. 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. The ruling was. The Associated Press 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 $10 million in. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didnt have a Bachelors degree. Lindsay Whitehurst/AP Esther Nakajjigo died on June 13 after a metal gate swung into a car she and her husband were in and sliced het head off Credit: Handout. What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. One time it was the delivery of her Social Security card; another time, an update on her immigration status. 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. 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. She met Michaud on Tinder in 2019, when she was attending a leadership program in Boulder, Colorado. She was subsequently named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. The metal gate at Arches National Park, normally secured with a lock, was left untethered. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan activist who'd moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder, died June 13, 2020, while visiting the park with her husband of two Outside's long reads email newsletter features our strongest writing, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors. "For want of an $8.00 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good; a young woman influencer who was destined to become our society's future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates or Oprah Winfrey," read the initial claim from Nakajjigo's husband and family. On June 13, she was needlessly decapitated by a metal gate that swung into the couples car as they were exiting the Arches parking lot on their way to go get ice cream, according to a wrongful death administrative claim exclusively obtained by NBC News. The family of a woman beheaded by a metal gate in front of her husband at a national park has launched a lawsuit for $140million (115m). 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. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, pose at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. The gruesome nature of Nakajjigos death and the fact that she was a renowned Ugandan womens rights activist drew widespread attention to the case. Nakajjigo, 25, was a Ugandan human rights activist and moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 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 $10 million in damages, a federal judge ruled Monday. The family of a young woman who was killed by a swinging gate at Arches National Park has sued the park service over her death. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. Nakajjigo was. 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.. 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. Berndt said her team in no way believes Nakajjigo was an average person, and that using reliable data to estimate her lost earnings isn't a value judgment of Nakajjigo. It claims three other people have died from similar incidents involving gates in the last 32 years. Nakajjigo was a women's rights champion in her home country of Uganda; she founded a nonprofit community health center using her college tuition money, and created two reality TV shows centered around empowering women. 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. 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. Throughout the trial, attorneys debated estimates of Nakajjigos earnings potential. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband were visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. Attorneys for the government have not disputed that park officials are at fault but instead have disputed how much the family should be awarded. 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. We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. National parks begin to reopen across the country. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. He and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, who had moved to Colorado from Uganda, went to Utah as a welcome break from being quarantined. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the U.S. government must pay her family more than $10 million in damages. Having received numerous international accolades and awards, Nakajjigo came to the United States to further her education, where she met Michaud a video streaming technology solution architect via a dating app. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together.. Michaud and his in-laws are asking a federal judge for $140 million. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. All this building towards the $140million in damages. Instead, "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter." But on Friday, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson tried to give Michaud some peace of mind. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. Credit: AP FILE - Delicate. minutes. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Nakajjigo donated her own college fund to start a hospital, Berndt said; she raised money for charities and never took a salary. November 12, 2020 / 2:34 PM The family of Esther Nakajjigo accused the National Park Service of negligence for not properly securing the metal gate that killed her. Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her . 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. 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 . SALT LAKE CITY The family of human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, who was decapitated in an accident in Arches National Park, has sued the National Park Service. She added that the plaintiffs' assumption that Nakajjigo would have taken a salary "far in excess" of most nonprofit CEOs is "simply contrary to everything the court has heard about her," Berndt 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. Mr Michaud and Ms Nakajjigos family have filed a lawsuit in a US court accusing the National Park Service of negligence, Fox 13 reports. "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, as reported by CBS Denver.. $270 MILLION LAWSUIT The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent . He no longer has a TV in his apartment because the sight of any blood is triggering, he said. As they were leaving the park on June 13, 2020, heavy winds apparently blew the metal entrance gate into the passenger side of the vehicle, striking and killing Nakajjigo. Fox13 reports the metal. 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. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. New pill cuts cholesterol, heart attacks, Suspect in Dylan Rounds disappearance charged with murder. 'Shadow pandemic': Women, girls bear unequal share of Covid-19 burden, U.N. official warns, National parks begin to reopen across the country. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Mail that Nakajjigo has continued to receive after her death has been a stark reminder of the life they should still be enjoying together. SALT . 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. At age 17, she used her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center, which provided free reproductive health services to young women and girls. 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. 45 Join Insider . FILE Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Esther Nakajjigo was a prominent Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in Utah's Arches National Park in 2020. 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. It 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.. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Angeles Times 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. But U.S. Attorney Amanda Berndt said while there's no question that the plaintiffs are entitled to a reward, a proper calculation of Nakajjigo's lost earnings must include the possibility that she might have left the workforce at some point for a variety of reasons. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. 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. Her husband, Michaud, is seeking $240 million in damages from the National Park Service, while Nakajjigo's family is seeking $30 million. 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. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. 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. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. 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. At age 17, Nakajjigo. 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Something went wrong, please try again later. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax The gate reportedly smashed through the side of the car and struck Nakajjigo . Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement . Nakajigos family and Michaud are suing the U.S. government for negligence as well as negligent infliction of emotional distress on the part of Michaud, who had to witness the grisly scene. 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. 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. 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. The claim, served Oct. 22, is seeking more than $270 million in damages from the National Park Service. Nakajjigo also created a reality television show in Uganda focused on helping teenage mothers stay in school and learn life skills. Courtesy of. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Her mother flew to Utah from Uganda to attend the trial this week. Nakajjigo created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. 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. Judge Bruce Jenkins said he wants to "examine with care" all the information presented during the weeklong trial. What if he hadn't suggested the trip. She was particularly passionate about reducing teenage pregnancy and created two reality television shows that empowered women. in the two-plus years since his wife, Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo, was hit and killed by an unsecured gate while the couple was leaving Arches National Park. McGinn argued that the smaller projections were based on categories of evaluation not allowed for under Utah law. 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. According to the claim, Michaud, of Denver, and Nakajjigo, a womens rights proponent from Uganda, were exiting the Arches parking lot on June 13 when a metal gate on the entrance road near the visitors center swung into the couples car, causing Nakajigo to be needlessly decapitated.. Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. The suit was filed last. DENVER (CBS4) - The family of a Denver woman has filed a $270 million wrongful death claim against Arches National Park after she was killed there over the summer. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. 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 . For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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.. 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.. What if they had gone on a different day, or left at a different time? 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 $10 million in damages, a federal judge ruled Monday. He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. 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. 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. 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.. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud visited the park in mid June. What happened during the 2023 Utah Legislature. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement, [] 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. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. She later created a pair of reality television shows designed to empower women. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en cliquant sur le lien Tableau de bord sur la vie prive prsent sur nos sites et dans nos applications. 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. They stipulate, however, that the plaintiffs should be awarded $22,508 for Nakajjigo's funeral expenses and $5,000 for Michaud's therapy expenses. 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. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. It feels lonely, and thats hard. The lawsuit filed by Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, claims his wife Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while in the passenger seat of a car exiting Arches National Park. She was always willing to help, he said. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly.