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. filed a claim with the National Park Service. 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. Father 'crushed to death' in indoor cave at tourist attraction 'was read poem by his daughter' while he lay dying in hospital bed - as previous safety concerns emerge about site where 49-year-old got stuck for four hours, Can the Keto diet help treat mental illness? Investigative reporter Nate Carlisle held a live Q&A session on FOX 13's Facebook page after this piece aired. The comments below have been moderated in advance. The National Park Service has not commented in relation to the new lawsuit but has previously released a statement expressing sympathy for the young womans death. Michaud and his in-laws are asking a federal judge for $140 million. She gained national notoriety in Uganda through a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, and she was recognized by the United Nations for her efforts. After moving to Colorado, Nakajjigo met her husband hed moved to the area from France and the pair married in March, just as the coronavirus pandemic began to make news. 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. The Grand County Sheriffs Office arrived to investigate the accident. Judge awards $10.5 million to family of Denver, 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, Judge awards $10.5 million to family of Denver woman killed by wind-blown gate at Arches National Park, Denver newlyweds trip to Arches National Park ends with wifes death. For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the claim said. The couple was driving out of the park and passing by a metal pipe gate when one arm of the gate was dislodged by a gust of wind and swung into the cars path. Nominate Someone for a FOX 13 Dream Team Surprise! Michaud said in a statement after the ruling that going through the court process has helped him to heal after the trauma of witnessing his wifes violent death. Famously frosty Vogue editor Anna Wintour is seen cuddling up with her Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez party with A-list stars including Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Met Gala prep! 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 . 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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 focused on girls who had themselves become mothers through rape or forced marriages. Kevin Durant moped. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. All rights reserved. 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. 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. He filed his claim October 22. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. or redistributed. 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. Nakajjigo has been the face of Saving Innocence Challenge, a reality TV show addressing concerns about teenage pregnancy. When he looked to his wife in the passenger seat, he saw what he calls, the worst thing I hope I will ever see.. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. She later drew acclaim forprojects such as Saving Innocence Challenge, a reality show that provided schooling and funded businesses for hundreds of Lake Victoria island girls. The gate pierced the car, decapitating Nakajjigo. FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2011, file photo, a lunar eclipse is framed within Turret Arch at Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. Notices of claim must be filed ahead of lawsuits against government agencies and the lawsuit was filed June 8 in federal court. Kevin Durant moped. All Rights Reserved NewVision The claim asks the Park Service for $270 million. They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June, eager for an adventure. 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. 2023. Esther was born April 16, 1995. . 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 . 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. The metal tube gate pivoted clockwise. The horror of Nakajjigos death is one reason Michaud has filed a claim with the National Park Service seeking $270 million. This incident happened June 13 just before 2 p.m. as the couple were leaving the park, according to the claim. There was less than a second between when the gate started to move and when it struck the car and killed Nakajjigo, according to the report. The attorney said Nakajjigo was on a path to becoming a non-profit CEO capable of earning an annual salary of more than $1m. 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. . Then at age 17, she used her tuition money to start what was called the Princess Diana Health Centre. RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: What do we want? FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. I dont want this incident to reproduce itself ever again.". 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. 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The Olympian's mom, Esther Jenner , died on April 20 at the age of 96. 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. Nakajjigo was 'destined to become our societys future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates, or Oprah Winfrey,' the claim argues. 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. The newlyweds drove into Arches National Park on June 13. 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. It's official: Jamal Murray, Nuggets are in Phoenix's heads now. '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. The car in which she was traveling was smashed causing her instant death. 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. The United States will pay family members of Esther Nakajjigo, a Ugandan human rights activist killed in an accident at Arches National Park more than $10 million in damages, a federal judge ruled . Nakajjigo and her husband Ludovic Michaud were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the region's national parks months after their wedding. 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. 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Expressions of love, respect, admiration, the talk of raising at least three children are all circumstances, among other things, now lost and incapable of being ever fully replaced. EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Sting, 71, stuns guests renting out his Tuscany palace as he joins them for dinner before belting out some of his greatest hits. The gates next to the visitors center at Arches have been changed. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. 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. 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. The Met Gala begins! 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. Market data provided by Factset. But they argued that the damages initially sought based on Ms Nakajjigos future earning potential was too high, and that a figure of $3.5m would be appropriate. Now! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. According to the official statement from Wilson Jaga, the . Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Esther Nakajjigo, whod moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder, was killed instantly. In less than a second, the metal pole went through the cars front windshield and killed Nakajjigo, who was sitting in the passenger seat. 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. Colourful British MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo 'was secretly battling bowel cancer' before he was found dead in a hotel room at the age of 46, Boss of Lib-Dem run South Cambridgeshire council which was first to introduce a four-day week is secretly working on university thesison the effect of a four-day week, Martin Lewis reveals how to get a cheaper supermarket shop and FREE food. They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June from its coronavirus shutdown. 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). This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. These were just some of the descriptors used for Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Monday. Michaud wants the money to care for his late wifes family and support her causes in Uganda. A newlywed Denver couples road trip to Arches National Park in Utah this summer ended in tragedy when a metal gate at the park exit swung open, impaled the couples car and decapitated the woman, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist. The administrative claim is a necessary precursor to a lawsuit, which Chang said she plans to file in the next six months. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. She drew international acclaim for projects such as Saving Innocence Challenge, a reality show that provided schooling and funded businesses for hundreds of Lake Victoria island girls who became pregnant out of desperation, in a phenomenon known as 'sex for fish.'. The Park Service did not answer FOX 13s questions about whether anyone was disciplined for failing to latch the gate that killed Nakajjigo. A gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung across the roadway. 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. Michaud was 27 at the time of marriage and his wifes death, Jenkins wrote. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Shelly Bradbury is a breaking news reporter who joined The Denver Post in November 2019. She . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I really wanted to show her Arches, Michaud said, because I know all the parks around Moab because, yeah, it's one of my favorite places in the U.S., if not my favorite place.. '[Esther] was always willing to help,' Michaud told NBC News. She was one in a billion, family attorney Randi McGinn told the court during opening arguments, according to Fox 13. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent . 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. 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. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. Keeler: Chris Paul got dirty. 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. 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Denver woman Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud, were visiting Arches National Park in mid-June when a freak accident left Nakajjigo dead.. Better late than never! The gate sliced through the side of their rented car, striking Nakajjigo in the head and neck and killing her, the lawsuit said. "She could lift mountains, basically, in her own way. The wrongful death claim was served on October 22 and seeks more than $270 million in damages from the . While there, she met Michaud. In 1980, the end of an unsecured gate in Stanislaus National Park in California impaledRandy Rostas he rode in the camper-topped bed of a pickup truck, killing him. A federal judge this week awarded $10.5 million to the family of a Denver woman who was killed when a metal gate at Utahs Arches National Park swung open, impaled her car and decapitated her. 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. 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 . In life, Nakajjigo was recognized for her work on behalf of Ugandan girls before she was even an adult. The family of a women's rights activist from Uganda sued the National Park Service this month after she was decapitated last year by a gate at Utah's Arches National Park. 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The ruling was issued by a US District Court on Friday, according to KUTV. 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day. The National Park Service declined to make anyone available for an interview but issued a statement. Chang said the Park Service has until sometime in April to answer the claim or try to settle the case without a lawsuit. Esther Nakajjigo - pictured left just hours before her death - was beheaded by a lance-like gate that swung into her husband's car as they visited . The lawsuit does not specify the amount of damages being sought, but Nakajjigos family has previously filed a $270 million notice of claim. That's one reason Michaud's lawyer, Deborah Chang, served a claim October 22 to the National Parks Service that topped $270 million. Nakajjigo accomplished more by age 25 than most people do in a lifetime. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. DENVER -- Ludovic Michaud has notified the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service that he intends to file a wrongful death lawsuit because of a crash at the entrance to Arches National Park that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Esther Nakajjigo. Other reasons for that sum is who Nakajjigo was and what she intended to do. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Attorneys for Michaud and Nakajjigo's family gave their opening arguments when the civil trial began Monday. Relatives of a Ms Nakajjigo initially sought $140m in damages from the US government. 'Our mission is to make sure this doesn't happen again,' he 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. They hiked the trail to Delicate Arch, posing for photos there. Esther Nakajjigo was exiting the park June 13 when the sharp end of a freely swinging gate pierced her car, killing Nakajjigo and narrowly missing her husband. The gate pierced the car, decapitating Nakajjigo. All this building towards the $140million in damages. 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. There was less than a second between when the gate started to move and when it struck the car and killed Nakajjigo, according to the report. If National Parks Service workers had simply secured the gate to the Arches parking lot with a padlock, Nakajjigo would still be alive, according to Michaud's claim. 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. 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.