One of his regrets is not saying, "I love you," one more time. "This act of selflessness went viral throughout Uganda, and she was featured in numerous magazines and news publications. 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.. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement, [] Nakajjigo married Denver man Ludovic Michaud in March 2020. NBC wrote that Nakajjigo had come to the United States to further her education, participating in programs at Drexel University in Philadelphia as a Mandela Washington Fellow and at the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colo., where she was the recipient of a Luff Peace Fellowship., Michaud, originally of France, was uninjured in the accident, but, according to NBCs report, has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder., Donate to the newsroom now. Nothing we can say makes up for your loss. 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.. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband were visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. The gruesome nature of Nakajjigos death and the fact that she was a renowned Ugandan womens rights activist drew widespread attention to the case. "On behalf of the United States, we again extend our condolences to Ms. Nakajjigos friends, family and beloved community. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. Even simple tasks like cooking rice stored in a jar that Nakajjigo bought before her death feel paralyzing, he said. Updated: Jan 31, 2023 / 03:49 PM MST. SALT LAKE CITY Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud has tortured himself with a lot of "what ifs?" Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. Theres a newsletter that went out to all the parks and the National Park Service that warned of this decades ago. Monday's closing arguments focused heavily on the differences in testimony made by several economic experts, two of whom projected that Nakajjigo would have earned at least $9 million in her lifetime and the third who estimated Nakajjigo would have made between about $750,000 and $938,000. They had wanted three children. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. I found her really interesting. 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. In court, Michaud described his relationship with Nakajjigo as the best time of his life., It feels lonely, and thats hard. 72 Join Insider . Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. 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. 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. Continuing her work brings him hope; he's already started a nonprofit in her name, the Esther Nakajjigo Foundation. I know all the parks around Moab Its one of my favourite places in the US, if not my favourite place.. afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss en fonction de vos profils de centres dintrt; mesurer lefficacit des publicits et contenus personnaliss; et. 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. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated at Arches National Park in Utah after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her car, killing her immediately as her husband sat in the seat next to her. 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. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. 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. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. At age 17, Nakajjigo. "I'll respond as soon as I'm able," Jenkins said. Nakajjigo donated her own college fund to start a hospital, Berndt said; she raised money for charities and never took a salary. 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. Credit: AP FILE - Delicate. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Instead, the Utah park became the site of a horrific accident that killed her. 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. The newly married Michaud and Nakajjigo took a weekend trip to Arches National Park as a welcome break after months of lockdown amid the pandemic, court documents said. . 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. Cruise staffer fired after shock bathroom act, Passengers injured as turbulence rocks plane. "You bear no responsibility. 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. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. 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. 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. One series reportedly had a weekly audience of 6.3 million viewers. He no longer has a TV in his apartment because the sight of any blood is triggering, he said. She was particularly passionate about reducing teenage pregnancy and created two reality television shows that empowered women. IE 11 is not supported. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 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. Itd be like me pointing a piece of paper to you on its most narrow side. Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Nakajjigo, 25, was a Ugandan human rights activist and moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder. The trial began in December and in court, per the AP, family attorney Randi McGinn reportedly argued Nakajjigo could have eventually brought in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, annually had she survived. First published on November 12, 2020 / 2:34 PM. Michaud and his in-laws are asking a federal judge for $140 million. What if they had gone on a different day, or left at a different time? 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. 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. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the. Nakajjigo was killed instantly. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. 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. All rights reserved. Nakajjigo's family sued the government for the largest federal award ever asked for in both state and national history, according to plaintiffs' attorney Randi McGinn, seeking $140 million in damages. 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. 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. Later, his chin trembled as Nelson delivered the government's apology. 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. I really wanted to show her Arches, he told Fox 13. Nelson, the governments attorney, has said an appropriate award would be $3.5million (2.9m). Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigos family, on Monday asked the family to leave when he described the death in gruesome detail. On Monday, a federal judge ruled Ludovic Michaud, the husband of Esther Nakajjigo, will receive $9.5 million, while Nakajjigo's mother and father were awarded $700,000 and $350,000, respectively, per the Salt Lake Tribune. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. Posted at 10:15 PM, Nov 12, 2020 In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. 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. 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. 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. Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do, Can't take statins? Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together, he said. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. "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. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. 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. 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 . 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. "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. Throughout the trial, attorneys debated estimates of Nakajjigos earnings potential. The ruling was. National parks begin to reopen across the country. 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. 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. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgment, saying it was the largest federal wrongful death verdict in Utah history. 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). The metal gate at Arches National Park, normally secured with a lock, was left untethered. Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. 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. 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. McGinn argued that the smaller projections were based on categories of evaluation not allowed for under Utah law. Esther Nakajjigo had been visiting Utah's Arches National Park when she was killed by a gate caught in the wind. 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. A newlywed Denver couple's road trip to Arches National Park in Utah this summer ended in . / CBS Colorado. The 25-year-old human rights activist and newlywed wife was killed on June 13, 2020, in Arches National Park. One time it was the delivery of her Social Security card; another time, an update on her immigration status. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. 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 . (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. "I'm doing whatever I can to get better. The claim she served is legally required before a lawsuit can be filed in court. 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 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. 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. The National Park Service did not respond to repeated inquiries from NBC News, nor did Arches National Park Chief Ranger Scott Brown. Esther Nakajjigo was beheaded after the wind whipped a metal gate round cutting into the passenger side of the car, Esther Nakajjigo with her husband Ludovic Michaud, A picture of the gates that led to the young woman's death. 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. Nakajjigo was. 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. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud visited the park in mid June. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. 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. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax At age 17, Nakajjigo was recognized by the United Nations for her work for women, according to the claim. 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. 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. 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 administrative claim is a legally required precursor to a lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in about six months. Michaud hopes he and Nakajjigos family can continue her legacy. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. In his ten-page verdict, U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins said the government admitted fault and apologized for Nakajjigos death. 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.. US attorneys have said this claim was too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. Her dreams were just about to come true, Chang said. In their legal complaint, Michaud and Nakajjigos parents said the National Park Service was negligent for not maintaining the gate. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. Nakajjigos remains were flown back to Uganda in August. 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, 25, was driving around the stunning Arches National Park in Utah, US, in 2020 along with her husband Ludovic Michaud when the unthinkable happened. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it.. 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. Esther Nakajjigo lost her life when she was decapitated at an entrance to Arches National Park in Utah back in June. The amount was far less than the $140 million Nakajjigos family originally sought. 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. Esther Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud). 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. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship.