John Ssenkindu, Esther's brother, told journalists that her sister was hit by a metallic gate of the Arches National Park in the US . She later created a pair of reality television shows designed to empower women. 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. Recreation areas had recently opened after pandemic-era closures and . "You bear no responsibility. The same year, Nakajjigo was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. . Twist after newlywed decapitated by gate at national park - Yahoo! Nakajjigo was not sure where she wanted to work whether it was in the U.S., back in Uganda or elsewhere but Michaud was willing to follow her wherever she could continue to make the most impact. Elizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News who focuses on health and mental health, particularly issues that affect women and children. The U.S. government has admitted responsibility for Nakajjigos death and for the emotional distress inflicted upon her husband, an attorney for the plaintiffs said. All times AEDT (GMT +11). On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the U.S. government must pay her family more than $10 million in damages. She was also awarded a full scholarship from the king of Buganda. ", 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. Michaud was not injured in the accident, but he was covered head-to-toe in his wifes blood. The ongoing trial will largely focus on determining the damages that may go to her family and Michaud. I couldnt work properly for a couple of months. I found her really interesting. Instead, the Utah park became the site of a horrific accident that killed her. There is a lot of small things I miss.. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. 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. She was named as Ugandas ambassador for women and girls and received an award from the United Nations after she used her university tuition money to start a non-profit community centre that offered free healthcare to girls and women aged 10 to 24. Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together.. Ludovic Michaud was driving around the scenic red rock landscapes of Utah's Arches National Park on a windy spring day in 2020 when something unthinkable happened: A metal gate whipped around,. 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. The federal trial began Monday in Utah, where the husband and family of Nakajjigo are seeking $140 million in damages from the U.S. government, arguing in a complaint that the national park was negligent and failed to properly maintain the gate. 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. He no longer has a TV in his apartment because the sight of any blood is triggering, he said. National Park Service faces $270M wrongful death claim - USA TODAY Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do, Can't take statins? Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigos family, on Monday asked the family to leave when he described the death in gruesome detail. 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.. 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. 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. A newlywed Denver couple's road trip to Arches National Park in Utah this summer ended in . Berndt also said her team can take into account only Nakajjigo's education and earning history at the time of her death, exclusive from the money she raised for charitable organizations. Nakajjigo was killed instantly. 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. In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. Updated: Jan 31, 2023 / 03:49 PM MST. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. 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. 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. "I'll respond as soon as I'm able," Jenkins said. The wind whipped a metal gate round which sliced through the passenger door of the car and decapitated Esther. Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. Family of Ugandan philanthropist decapitated by traffic gate in Arches Lindsay Whitehurst/AP One, Saving Innocence, depicted teenage girls from urban areas helping teen moms in rural communities go back to school. The amount was far less than the $140 million Nakajjigos family originally sought. 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. 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. Chang expects to file the lawsuit in about six months. Just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., Michaud, a video streaming technology solution architect who is originally from France, and Nakajjigo decided they wanted to marry. 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. I felt completely meaningless after losing Nakajjigo, he said. In opening statements Monday in Salt Lake City, their attorneys said they were seeking $140 million (115m) in damages from the government accounting for Esther's earning potential. Theres a newsletter that went out to all the parks and the National Park Service that warned of this decades ago. 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. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. 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. But now, Michaud said, he returns to an apartment that doesn't feel like a home. All rights reserved. "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. "On behalf of the United States, we again extend our condolences to Ms. Nakajjigos friends, family and beloved community. Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. 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.. Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. It's really a full-time job," he said. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park 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. 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. FILE Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Woman's decapitation at Arches National Park leads to $270M wrongful The administrative claim is a legally required precursor to a lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in about six months. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was on a trip to the Utah park with her . When he inhaled the copper-tinged smell of blood, turned to figure out what it was and saw his beheaded wife. 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 . Family of newlywed woman 'DECAPITATED by metal gate' at Utah national During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Judge Bruce Jenkins said he wants to "examine with care" all the information presented during the weeklong trial. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. He smiled at some points as he shared photos and memories of happier times affectionate birthday cards, silly nicknames, meals cooked together, the rose petals Nakajjigo arranged into the shape of a heart with an "I" and a "U" on either side. But when she met Michaud in June 2019 in Aurora, Colorado, through a dating app, he just saw her as a smart person who loved to laugh. She met Michaud on Tinder in 2019, when she was attending a leadership program in Boulder, Colorado. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Disputing the family's claims the victim was on track to become the CEO of a non-profit who could eventually have netted an annual income in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. Something went wrong, please try again later. Credit: AP FILE - Delicate. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. 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. Family of woman decapitated in Utah national park by swinging gate to The family of Esther Nakajjigo accused the National Park Service of negligence for not properly securing the metal gate that killed her. 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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. None. Family of Woman Decapitated by Swinging Gate at State Park Awarded $10. 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.". In their legal complaint, Michaud and Nakajjigos parents said the National Park Service was negligent for not maintaining the gate. McGinn argued that the smaller projections were based on categories of evaluation not allowed for under Utah law. 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.. 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 suit was filed last. 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. 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.. Estimated read time: 5-6 Donate to the newsroom now. 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, the Associated Press reported. 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. In court, Michaud described his relationship with Nakajjigo as the best time of his life., It feels lonely, and thats hard. He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. "I'm doing whatever I can to get better. "This act of selflessness went viral throughout Uganda, and she was featured in numerous magazines and news publications. 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. 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. Posted at 10:15 PM, Nov 12, 2020 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. Denver man files suit after wife's death at National Park - KMGH I didnt know who she was at first, Michaud, 26, told NBC News in his first interview since Nakajjigos death. Instead, Michaud met his wife's family -- who traveled to the States from Uganda -- for the first time just before the trial started. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it, she told Fox 13. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. 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. Jenkins awarded Michaud $9.5 million; Nakajjigos mother, Christine Namagembe, $700,000; and her father, John Bosco Kateregga, $350,000. $270M Claim Filed Against National Park Service After Woman's Death (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. He was "instantly covered with blood," the complaint says. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death 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. 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. Ms Nakajjigos husband said his wifes death was the worst thing I hope I will ever see. 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. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Family of Woman Killed at Arches National Park Awarded $10.5M 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. 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. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M - CBS News She was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. 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. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement . Arches accidental beheading trial ends, but verdict is still pending The National Park Service did not respond to repeated inquiries from NBC News, nor did Arches National Park Chief Ranger Scott Brown. 45 Join Insider . The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a . The United Nations Population Fund awarded her a Woman Achiever Award," the claim states. 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. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax I know all the parks around Moab Its one of my favourite places in the US, if not my favourite place.. Throughout the trial, attorneys debated estimates of Nakajjigos earnings potential. 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. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her . 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. 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. Instead of planning their future together, Michaud is now processing the trauma and grief of Nakajjigos gruesome death and hoping the lawsuit his attorney plans to file will save other families from experiencing what he did. The family had initially sought a total of $270 million in damages, before lowering the amount to $140 -- while the government only wanted to pay $3.5 million. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. 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.. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death 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 show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Uganda's 'Young Personality of the Year,'" the Post reported. 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. An activist's dreams 'were about to come true.' Then, a horrific 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. On June 13, 2020, Nakajjigo, who was riding in the passenger seat as her husband drove them out of the park, was suddenly decapitated when the triangular, metal gate swung around and sliced into their rental car. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Angeles Times 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 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. The claim describes Nakajjigos final moments in graphic detail and says the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter.. Mail that Nakajjigo has continued to receive after her death has been a stark reminder of the life they should still be enjoying together. 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. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. 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.
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