Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. Besides failing to latch the gate, the claim contends the gates clockwise pivot violated federal standards. Nakajjigo's horrific death has a precedent, states the document. 2023. The Met Gala begins! The claim asks the Park Service for $270 million. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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Biden FINALLY announces COVID vaccine requirement for travelers to US will be Have scientists finally created a jab to keep ALL flu strains at bay? The ability, the energy and the motivation of his new wife was gone in an instant There is genuinely no satisfactory metric to measure those losses with precision.. resigns from Google and says he regets Pictured: British grandfather and 'friend to everybody' who died while snorkelling during dream cruise Baby in India is born with a third ARM growing from its back in rare phenomenon. Michaud, upon seeing the gruesome sight, said he jumped out of the car and ran to the visitor's center for help. The horror of Nakajjigos death is one reason Michaud has filed a claim with the National Park Service seeking $270 million. Michaud and Nakajjigos parents sued the U.S. government after her death and sought more than $150 million in damages; the government admitted it was at fault, but argued the family was owed $3.5 million. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. I think the video will show in detail how fast this happened, Chang said. Michaud loved the park and its giant sandstone arches, weathered by wind but seemingly carved by the hand of a sculptor. (iStock), "She had like a tremendous potential," Michaud told the TV station of his late wife. Other . Park staff told investigators the gate was usually left unsecured, and that typically the gates own weight kept it in place, so it was not locked in place by any other means. Kiszla: Avs embarrass themselves with silence about Valeri Nichushkin's mysterious absence following reported 9-1-1 call, Andrew Cogliano out for Game 7 with fractured neck after Jordan Eberle's hit leaves Avalanche miffed at lack of suspension. He filed his claim October 22. They had plans to hold a ceremony with Nakajjigo's family in Uganda, but the fateful visit to Arches National Park intervened. The gate pierced the car, decapitating Nakajjigo. (iStock) 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. 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). Charlotte is daddy's double! Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. When do we want it? In less than a second, the metal pole went through the cars front windshield and killed Nakajjigo, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Without warning, a gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung into the cars path. Thanks to her new 16m Harry Potter TV deal, it's JK Rowling who's having the last laugh over Scientists discover what happens seconds before you die - activity in the brain and heart RAMPS UP, Trendy hard floors could be to blame for your foot pain (and there is a simple way to stop it). The National Park Service has, in fact, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous condition for its park invitees, the claim reads, noting at least three other instances since 1988 in which people in cars were fatally impaled by such gates. Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. A federal judge in Utah on Monday awarded more than $10.5 million to the family of Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo, a Ugandan human rights activist who was decapitated in Arches National Park in 2020. The family are arguing that the US Park Service was negligent and did not properly maintain the gates at the entrances and exits to the parks, leading to their loved one's death. Ms Nakajjigo was described as an extraordinary warrior for good who was destined to become a future Princess Diana or Oprah Winfrey in pre-trial court documents. IAN BIRRELL: Why are we kowtowing to a sinister dictatorship in China that still covers up the origins of Covid, threatens Taiwan and carries out genocide? 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 . Then the car carrying him and his wife stopped. The Grand County Sheriffs Office arrived to investigate the accident. The family says under federal park rules, similar gates should be secured, but the gate that struck Ms Nakajjigo had been unlatched for weeks, Fox 13 reports. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan activist whod 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 months, Ludovic Michaud. The administrative claim is a necessary precursor to a lawsuit, which Chang said she plans to file in the next six months. Prosecuting attorney Randi McGinn described the death in gruesome detail and said if Nakajjigo's life had not been cut short, she would have gone on to become a non-profit CEO who could eventually have netted an annual income in the hundreds of thousands of dollars - or millions. The $270 million claim related to Nakajjigo's death accounts not only for her husband's anguish but the future fundraising potential of his wife, had she lived, Nakajjigo at age 17 was named Uganda's ambassador for women and girls after she used her college tuition money to found a nonprofit community health center. A newsletter publicized that earlier incident to National Parks Service employees, said Chang. Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated by a metal gate that swung through the car's passenger door in Arches National Park (Grand County Sheriff's Office) According to a wrongful death administrative claim acquired by NBC News exclusively, Esther Nakajjigo was "needlessly decapitated" on June 13, . The nine-figure amount that the claim seeks accounts not only for Michaud's anguish, but for his deceased wife's potential as a fundraiser that he says was cut short by the negligence of parks workers. The Park Service did not answer FOX 13s questions about whether anyone was disciplined for failing to latch the gate that killed Nakajjigo. In the show, people do charity work or other acts to benefit the mothers. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. She earned numerous humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Now! She moved to Boulder, Colorado, to attend the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators. Michauds attorney, Deborah Chang, of Athea Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles, describes the gate and its clockwise orientation like weapons. 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Michaud and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were in Arches National Park. Newlywed killed by swinging gate at Arches, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Newlywed killed by swinging gate at Arches National Park, Multiple fatalities in Illinois crash during dust storm, Paltrow denied bid to recoup attorneys fees in ski crash lawsuit, Concord: Man killed in 4:30 a.m. solo crash on I-680, Major crash closes stretch of Blacow Road in Fremont, One dead after car rear-ends tow truck on I-880. In a video compilation of the 25-year old's accomplishments, Nakajjigo looked at the camera and said, "Esther means star." At age 17, the former Uganda resident was given property to sell for her own tuition but instead used it to open a hospital for women and girls, many of whom had been assaulted and neglected. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Ms Nakajjigos husband said his wifes death was the worst thing I hope I will ever see. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent . Christopher Tomlinson, Daily Sentinel via AP Photo File. Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? 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. Michaud wants the money to care for his late wifes family and support her causes in Uganda. At the age of 17, Nakajjigo was awarded a Woman Achiever Award from the United Nations for fundraising for a childrens hospital and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. Ms Nakajjigo worked to improve education and rights for women and teenage girls in her home country of Uganda and advocated to reduce rates of teenage pregnancy. Her remains were sent to Uganda in August for funeral services in her native country. Devin Booker sulked. Ludo Michaud was the last plaintiff witness in the civil trial over the June 13, 2020, death of his wife, Esther Nakajjigo. Judge awards $10.5 million to family of Denver woman killed by wind-blown gate at Arches National Park U.S. government admitted it was at fault in death of Esther Nakajjigo at Utah national park . Denver newlyweds trip to Arches National Park, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Colorado property tax relief: Polis, lawmakers reveal plan to ease skyrocketing tax bills, Denver newlyweds trip to Arches National Park ends with wifes death, The Denver Post, other news outlets sue DPS for recording of closed-door meeting after East High shooting, Rock-throwing suspects turned back to take photo of fatal crash as memento, Jeffco affidavit says, Jury finds Jeremy Webster guilty of first-degree murder in Westminster road-rage shooting spree, Former Colorado judge censured for drunken sexual advances in first use of new discipline system. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. 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. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File) She and her husband were newlyweds traveling in the well-known park when the wind caught the gate as they drove out, Fox13-KSTU in Salt Lake City reported . A metal gate sliced through a . 'Our mission is to make sure this doesn't happen again,' he said. The gate sliced through the side of their rented car, striking Nakajjigo in the head and neck and killing her, the lawsuit said. In October, Nakajjigos husband, Ludovic Michaud, and her parents filed a $270 million wrongful death claim a precursor to a formal lawsuit against the park, alleging that the gate should have been secured to prevent it from swinging into the road. An Australian man is facing more than a year in prison if found guilty of spitting in the face of an imam at a mosque in Indonesia. Let others know about your loved one's death. Speeding truck smashes into metal column in fatal Concord freeway wreck, San Jose: Pedestrian killed in early morning collision, Tornado flips cars, damages homes in coastal Florida city. A widow and his wife's family are seeking $140 million in damages from the U.S. government more than two years after a woman was killed in a Utah national park. Jimmy McCloskey Monday 2 Nov 2020 2:07 pm. An Aussie tradie was surfing on an island in Panama when he got smashed by a wave so hard he ended up having a 12-hour operation. Attorneys for Ms Nakajjigos family argued that the US National Park Service were negligent for not securing a metal traffic control gate that whipped around in high winds and sliced through the cars passenger door, instantly killing her. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The newlyweds were driving during a camping trip on June 13, when a strong gust of wind blew an unsecured 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. These were just some of the descriptors used for Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Monday. Harriette Cole: My friend's mom didn't recognize me at my job, and she was very rude. The United States will pay $10.5 million in damages over the death of a prominent Ugandan human rights activist killed in a Utah park in 2020. . Revealed: All 76 bank branches that are shutting its doors this month in blow to the High Street with millions of Britons facing longer journeys and waiting times to speak to an advisor in person - is YOURS affected? He died 8 days later. Nakajjigo was a Ugandan singer and actress who reportedly did charity work. 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 . She was attending a social-entrepreneurship program in Colorado at the time of her death. On June 13, she was "needlessly decapitated" by a metal gate that swung into the couple's car as they were exiting the Arches parking lot on their way to go get ice cream, according to a wrongful death administrative claim . 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. A wrongful death lawsuit is underway after Esther Nakajjigo was killed by a metal gate there in spring 2020. Nakajjigo gained national notoriety in Uganda and created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to the claim. It's official: Jamal Murray, Nuggets are in Phoenix's heads now. SALT LAKE CITY The husband of Esther Nakajjigo, who was driving the car when a traffic control gate decapitated her in Arches National Park, took the witness stand Thursday in the civil trial . Nakajjigo told of their plights in a reality show that aired in Uganda. Esther Nakajjigo is a former Uganda activist who was decapitated this summer at the Utah . Market data provided by Factset. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Michaud had no idea the acclaim his date had garnered, but thought she was 'really interesting. When FOX 13 visited the site in January, the new gates were latched open with chains and padlocks. They argue that the U.S. Park Service was negligent and did not maintain the gates at the entrances and exits to the parks, leading to Nakajjigos death. She was 25. within 24 hours of Nakajjigo's death, his family feared he . It was a clinic for teenagers that saw 300 people a day. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and . Kevin Durant moped. A wrongful death lawsuit is underway after Esther Nakajjigo was killed by a metal gate there in spring 2020. She did quite an incredible amount of initiatives in the short time she had, Michaud said in an interview with FOX 13. Video of the crash shows Michaud was driving and Nakajjigo was in the front passenger seat as they drove toward the gate at about the same speed as other vehicles, according to a sheriffs report. But he hopes a lawsuit will enable him to carry on his deceased wife's life work - and to save others from her senseless fate, Michaud told NBC News. Newlyweds Esther Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Michaud, 26, were leaving the park June 13 to get ice cream when the gate swung out toward their car, piercing its side 'like a hot knife through butter,' according to a wrongful-death claim obtained byNBC News. Published: 18:27 BST, 2 November 2020 | Updated: 19:13 BST, 2 November 2020. The metal tube gate pivoted clockwise. After listening to five days of testimony about Nakajjigos personality and accomplishments, Jenkins said that it was all but impossible to put a price on her life and potential. The wrongful death claim was served on October 22 and seeks more than $270 million in damages from the . She was one in a billion, family attorney Randi McGinn told the court during opening arguments, according to Fox 13. 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. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah . In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue, and in 2020 she was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for an investigation into child sexual abuse among Amish and Mennonite communities. 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. He noted in a nine-page order Monday that Nakajjigo lived a remarkable life. Nakajjigo focused on girls who had themselves become mothers through rape or forced marriages. Nakajjigo was already a celebrity and accomplished humanitarian in her home country of Uganda. The park service previously issued a statement expressing sympathy to her family. A bystander pointed out the car was still in gear and inching forward. 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MOAB, Utah Ludo Michaud heard a loud noise. US attorneys have said this claim was too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. 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. 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 his car and decapitated Nakajjigo. Simple tasks that involve things that 'Essie' left behind - cooking rice that she bought, for instance - stop him in his tracks. Michaud and Nakajjigo ate sandwiches at the location known as The Windows. 'I was a couple of inches from dying, but I didn't, and right now I have a mission: It's to make sure what she's done continues. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The claim filed on 22 October argued that her death could have been avoided if the gate had been installed correctly or if it had been locked in place to prevent it from moving in the wind. "She was one in a billion, Your Honor," attorney Randi McGinn told the judge, according to FOX 13 Salt Lake City. The Avalanche championship dynasty crumbles less than a year after hoisting the Stanley Cup. The judge is expected to issue his ruling in the coming weeks. They hiked the trail to Delicate Arch, posing for photos there. Revealed: All 76 bank branches that are shutting its doors this month in blow to the High Street with Charlotte is daddy's double! The 'lance-like' gate decapitated Nakajjigo and narrowly missed her husband, who was covered by her blood. DIASPORA |Saturday, June 13, turned dark at noon in the lives of Ugandan activists as it marked the end of a bright ray of hope Esther Nakajjigo.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 to a heavy storm. We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. She joined the paper in 2019 and previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. The National Park Service has, in fact, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous condition for its park invitees, the claim reads, noting three other instances since 1988 in which people in cars were killed by such gates. Keeler: Avs fans, could we please skip Valeri Nichushkin, Nazem Kadri revisionist history? Nelson, the governments attorney, has said an appropriate award would be $3.5million (2.9m). Ask Amy: I put a security camera in my room, and what I saw was creepy, Ask Amy: My fiancee's family says I'm not invited, and she's going without me, The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded, 'Total dominance': Steph Curry breaks NBA Game 7 record, leads Warriors over Kings, Dear Abby: The reason her fiance hid his phone was something she never guessed, Mortgage fees to rise for buyers with high credit scores, fall for those with lower scores, Kurtenbach: Steph Curry built the Warriors dynasty. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The family of a womens rights activist from Uganda sued the National Park Service this month after she was decapitated last year by a gate at Utahs Arches National Park. Moment commuter blasts eco-zealots, Royal superfans camping on The Mall ahead of King's Coronation, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Cambridge students party in the park during annual celebrations, Russian freight train derails and bursts into flames after explosion, Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', 'You motherf***ers don't understand': Bam Margera details 'turmoil', Ukraine drone strike hits major fuel depot in port Sevastopol. The $10.5m decision came after a wrongful death trial in Salt Lake City for the philanthropist who was tragically killed on a camping trip with husband Ludovic Michaud on 13 June 2020, the Associated Press reported. Last month, Nakajjigos husband, Ludovic Michaud, and her parents filed a $270 million wrongful-death claim a precursor to a formal lawsuit alleging that the gate should have been secured to prevent it from swinging into the road. A gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung across the roadway. '[Esther] was always willing to help,' Michaud told NBC News. Wind caught an unlatched traffic gate and turned it into the path of Michaud and Nakajjigos rented Chevy Malibu. Then the car carrying him and his wife stopped. Nakajjigo's family remains uncertain about whether the body will be repatriated due to the prevailing COVID-19 lockdown. The gate had been left unlatched against federal policy for two weeks before it struck Esther Nakajjigo in June 2020, according to the lawsuit filed in Denver. Nakajjigo grew up in Uganda and at 17 was recognized by the United Nations for her work for women shed donated her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center that provided free reproductive health services to young women. Chang says the Park Service has so far declined to provide her the video. The comments below have been moderated in advance. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigos family, on Monday asked the family to leave when he described the death in gruesome detail. But we took a very conservative approach.. The attorney said Nakajjigo was on a path to becoming a non-profit CEO capable of earning an annual salary of more than $1m.
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