Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. 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. The gate had been left unlatched against federal policy for two weeks prior to the tragic accident in June 2020. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo's husband and parents initially filed a $270 million claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death 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. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death minutes. 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 accidental beheading trial ends, but verdict is still pending The amount was far less than the $140 million Nakajjigos family originally sought. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the U.S. government must pay her family more than $10 million in damages. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death 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 . The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax 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. Get Toofab breaking news sent right to your browser! Woman's decapitation at Arches National Park leads to $270M wrongful Trial begins over death of Ugandan woman killed in Utah park 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.. 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.". Trial begins two years after newlywed was beheaded by metal gate at Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. She was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. . 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 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. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. 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 . 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 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. Its still hard to concentrate, but I try to.. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it, she told Fox 13. Esther Nakajjigo's horrified husband was driving when a metal gate was whipped round in the wind and cut into the car where she was sitting and beheading her in Arches National Park in Utah, US. SALT LAKE CITY Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud has tortured himself with a lot of "what ifs?" sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was on a trip to the Utah park with her . Estimated read time: 5-6 Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do, Can't take statins? At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. 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. She was subsequently named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. 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. She was also awarded a full scholarship from the king of Buganda. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Arches National Park in 2020. The same year, Nakajjigo was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. 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. 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. Testimony ends in trial of Ugandan woman decapitated in Arches National 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 . I know all the parks around Moab Its one of my favourite places in the US, if not my favourite place.. We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. Family awarded $10.5M in Utah park death | Las Vegas Review-Journal 45 Join Insider . Everything reminds Michaud of Nakajjigo. Family of Ugandan philanthropist decapitated by traffic gate in Arches 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. Esther Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud). Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, the husband of Esther Nakajjigo told NBC News in an exclusive interview. 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. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. 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.. 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.". FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. 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. The family of a Ugandan young girl child activist, Esther Nakajjigo who died in the United States of America (USA) have asked government to help them repatriate her body, to be accorded a decent burial. 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. 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. (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. 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. 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. Family of Ugandan activist who was decapitated at UT national park gets "We want you to know, on behalf of the United States, this accident and Essie's death was the responsibility of the United States," Nelson told Michaud. 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. 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Instead, Michaud met his wife's family -- who traveled to the States from Uganda -- for the first time just before the trial started. National Park Service faces $270M wrongful death claim - USA TODAY Twist after newlywed decapitated by gate at national park - Yahoo! An activist's dreams 'were about to come true.' Then, a horrific 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. 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. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death There have been gate accidents across the country, including another one on federal government property in 1980 in which a camper in California was impaled by a U.S. Forest Service road closure gate. Denver man files suit after wife's death at National Park - KMGH 'Shadow pandemic': Women, girls bear unequal share of Covid-19 burden, U.N. official warns, National parks begin to reopen across the country. Seven people have been rushed to hospital after severe turbulence on a flight led to an emergency landing. Activist Esther Nakajjigo's family beg Ugandan government to return Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. Esther Nakajjigo was a prominent Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in Utah's Arches National Park in 2020. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. None. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. $10.5 million awarded to family of Denver woman killed at Arches 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. 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. 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. 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.. 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. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Michaud, Nakajjigo's husband, spoke about the intense trauma he's endured since his wife's death, including sleeplessness, nightmares and suicidal ideation. 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. They wed in a courthouse ceremony in March 2020, three months before her death, and had plans to have a big ceremony in Uganda when it was safe to travel again. The familys lawyer Deborah Chang said the gate struck the car so suddenly and was so well blended into the surrounding landscape the honeymooning couple had no chance of avoiding it. All rights reserved. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Nothing we can say makes up for your loss. She was particularly passionate about reducing teenage pregnancy and created two reality television shows that empowered women. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. US attorneys have said this claim was too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Esther Nakajjigo lost her life when she was decapitated at an entrance to Arches National Park in Utah back in June. "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 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. Updated: Jan 31, 2023 / 03:49 PM MST. By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's. The claim she served is legally required before a lawsuit can be filed in court. 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. One series reportedly had a weekly audience of 6.3 million viewers. The tragic accident is now the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit Michaud and Nakajjigo's family are pursuing, in which they argue that the U.S. Park Service was negligent and did not maintain . 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 show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Uganda's 'Young Personality of the Year,'" the Post reported. Attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigos parents asked for $140 million in damages, while the government said an appropriate award would be roughly $3.5 million. I really wanted to show her Arches, he told Fox 13. Trial begins Ugandan woman's death in Arches National Park | 9news.com They said you have to lock it or its going to impale a car, so everyone knows, Chang said. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Trial opens in death of woman killed by metal gate in Utah | wltx.com Sign up today.

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