2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. ", "What he saw and experienced that day, I cannot even imagine," said Deborah Chang, an attorney representing Michaud and the Nakajjigo family. 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 the gates at the entrances and exits to the parks, leading to Nakajjigo's death. Produced by the Discovery Channel, this video highlights the geological marvels and cultural history of both Arches and Canyonlands, with footage of the spectacular and challenging red rock wilderness surrounding them. In an email to The Associated Press, National Park Service spokeswoman Vanessa Lacayo expressed sympathy for Nakajjigos family, friends and those whose lives she touched but did not address the wrongful death claim. She was living in Boulder, Colorado, and attending the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators, when she met Michaud. All rights reserved. In his ruling, Judge Jenkins said that the death was gruesome and overwhelmingly shocking.. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. The United Nations Population Fund gave her a Woman Achiever Award when she was 17, and she was named Ugandas Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony. Michauds attorneys also said the federal government was aware of the dangers, citing a 1980 accident in which a man was impaled by an unsecured gate as he rode in the back of a pickup in Californias Stanislaus National Forest. 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. DENVER (AP) The family of a womens rights activist from Uganda has filed a more than $270 million wrongful death and personal injury claim against the National Park Service after she was decapitated by an unsecured gate at Utahs Arches National Park. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. WebHikers walk beside the Delicate Arch at sunset in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah on April 21, 2018. 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. The suit was filed on June 8. I'm still struggling with that," Michaud said. The National Park Service and Arches National Park are accused of not securing the gate, which was installed to swing in the wrong direction and was being held open by a flimsy metal tab that was worn down and rounded, according to the claim. After COVID-19 closures were lifted, the newlyweds took a trip to Arches National Park. Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo Michaud, 27, were driving out of the park during a camping trip on June 13 when strong winds blew the metal gate into the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter, according to the administrative claim, which was filed in October. Provided by While growing up in Uganda, Nakajjigo used her college tuition funds to open up a nonprofit community education center in her home country. The National Park Service did not respond to an email seeking comment, and the media relations voicemail inbox was full and could not accept messages. "She was very strong personality, really funny, really smart," said Ludovic Michaud, Essie Nakajjigo's husband. "How do you measure someone like her? Attorneys representing the victims family asked the court to award an estimated $140 million, whereas the U.S. government argued that $3.5 million would be more appropriate and comparable to similar awards in similar claims. "I had a ton of flashbacks. WebThe United States will pay family members of a Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in a 2020 accident at Arches National Park more than $10 million in damages, a federal WebHuman 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. A 30-year-old man who also fell was hospitalized; his current condition is unknown. 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 Grand County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. NEW YORK POLICE SERGEANT FATALLY STRUCK IN WRONG-WAY CRASH. Webcam Entrance Station Webcam 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The National Park Service and Arches National Park are accused of not securing the gate, which was installed to swing in the wrong direction and was being held open by a flimsy metal tab that was worn down and rounded, according to the claim. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didn't have a Bachelor's degree. The trial over a wrong death lawsuit of a Ugandan activist has begun. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Family photo. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Nakajjigo, originally from Kampala, Uganda, used her university tuition money to start a nonprofit organization that provided free reproductive health care to girls and young women when she was just 17. The claim argues that an $8 padlock or proper maintenance would have prevented the death. Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. WebDENVER -- 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 In opening statements Monday in Salt Lake City, attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigo's family said they were seeking $140 million in damages from the government. She received numerous other humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. The three people involved were related, Brown said. A YOUNG activist hailed as a "future Princess Diana or Oprah" for her work was decapitated in a gruesome accident while she and her husband were hiking in Arches National Park. We take pride in exposing the hypocrisy of corporations, other organizations, and individuals whose actions put innocent people in harms way. "The National Park Service has, in face, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous conditions," says the claim. After requesting that the family leave the courtroom, she recounted the moment Michaud realized his wife had been killed, when he inhaled the copper-tinged smell of blood, turned to figure out what it was and saw she was dead. As Nakajjigo and her husband were leaving Arches National Park, a strong gust of wind swung the gate with sufficient force to slice through the passenger door of the couples vehicle, decapitating Nakajjigo as her husband sat in the drivers seat. A newlywed couples road trip to Arches National Park in Utah ended in tragedy when a metal gate at the park exit swung across the road and decapitated the 25-year-old woman as she rode in a car. Image via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr/user: Brian Turner. NBC reported that he was flown to Moab Regional Hospital. On the edge of the park, a metal gate normally secured with a lock was left untethered. It's known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. The United Nations Population Fund gave her a Woman Achiever Award when she was 17, and she was named Ugandas Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony. WebThe 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. The newlyweds were driving during a camping trip on June 13, when a strong gust of wind blew an unsecured metal gate that sliced through the side of their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. Courtesy Web6 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 Michaud and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were in Arches National Park. McGinn said if her life hadn't been cut short that Nakajjigo's trajectory suggested 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. They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June from its coronavirus shutdown. The lawsuit, adds CBS, observed that the activists death could have been prevented if Arches National Park had simply purchased an $8 padlock for the unsecured gate. Example video title will go here for this video. Nakajjigo was involved in countless philanthropic endeavors. Michaud, of Denver, is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. Legal Reader is devoted to protecting consumers. Instead, the familys civil lawsuit largely focused on the amount of damages merited. They said claims by the familys lawyers that Nakajjigo, who was 25 at the time of her death, was on track to be a non-profit CEO shortly were too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. 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 societys future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates or Oprah Winfrey, according to the claim, which is a precursor to a formal lawsuit. "The woman I loved and I saw her for just her.". She described Nakajjigo as a prominent women's rights activist who 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. 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. The pair married in March of this year. Chang has filed a $270 million claim for wrongful death. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. 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