Esther Nakajjigo, 25, tragically died on June 13 after a metal gate swung into the car she and her 26-year-old husband Ludovic Michaud were driving as they exited the parking lot of the Utah landmark. Arches National Park is best known for its pristine sandstone arches and its massive red Delicate Arch, which has featured in countless Instagram photos. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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. NEW YORK POLICE SERGEANT FATALLY STRUCK IN WRONG-WAY CRASH. Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. 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. Shelly Bradbury is a breaking news reporter who joined The Denver Post in November 2019. WebThis incident happened June 13 just before 2 p.m. as the couple were leaving the park, according to the claim. ", "Such metal pipe gates have been known to move when left unsecured, swing to the traveled part of the roadways, and penetrate into vehicles," the claim argues. The In 2018, she participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Drexel University, and she was also the recipient of the 2018 Luff Peace Fellowship at Watson Institute. WebLudovic 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 "She was very strong personality, really funny, really smart," said Ludovic Michaud, Essie Nakajjigo's husband. The couple planned to throw a big wedding in Uganda once the coronavirus pandemic - instead, Michaud is now in mourning and hopes that his claim will save others from experiencing a similar pain. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. However, in his 10-page decision, Jenkins observed that the case was somewhat unusual, insofar as neither the victim nor the plaintiffs were U.S. citizens. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. ", "What he saw and experienced that day, I cannot even imagine," said Deborah Chang, an attorney representing Michaud and the Nakajjigo family. Lindsay Clancy's murder of 3 kids shows cruel trick psychosis plays, Train derailment in Springfield, Ohio as residents ordered to shelter in place, Rape survivor 'sobbed seeing Gabby Petito bodycam vid after same cop did nothing', Mom 'stabs 3 of her kids to death and wounds 2 others in unsupervised visit', 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, A 25-year-old activist was beheaded in a freak accident while enjoying a trip to Arches National Park in Utah, 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. He is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. WebWidower Struggles With Loss After Wife Decapitated By Gate In Arches National Park 1,777,542 views Nov 12, 2020 30K Dislike Save CBS Colorado 98.1K subscribers 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. "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. Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were on vacation in eastern Utah, visiting national parks across the region several months after their wedding. Example video title will go here for this video. 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. or redistributed. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who is originally from Paris but now lives in Denver. Then the car carrying him and his wife stopped. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. "I'm still trying to figure out how to move forward, how to wake up in the morning. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Read more about Traffic and Travel Tips. She also created a popular reality television series that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on June 13, 2020 when she, along with her new husband Ludovic Michaud, visited Utah. "The end of the gate impaled the car like a lance, and literally beheaded his newly-wed bride right in front of him.". She's done more at the age of 25 than most people do in their entire lives," she said. RELATED: Search of Aurora house in case of missing teen Lashaya Stine continues, RELATED: Head brewer at Denver Beer Co. dies in climbing accident, SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Local stories from 9NEWS. Courtesy I think thats what they meant to show but I could be wrong She was consistently working to improve the lives of women in Africa and beyond. Ryan Farrick is a freelance writer and small business advertising consultant based out of mid-Michigan. The claim also argues that NPS regularly uses gates constructed "out of metal pipes with spear-like sharp ends," and that Arches National Park had "a set of these metal pipe gates with lance-like sharp ends at the entrance/exit of the park. The claim says the gate was left open and unrestrained, causing major damage to the hood and the front passenger fender, door and window. November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM One of the Denver couple's stops was Arches National Park near Moab. 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. 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Legal Reader is devoted to protecting consumers. Several dozen per day. 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. WebWhen I went to Arches National Park in 2021, I got turned around at the gate. Michaud's claim alleges that if the gate had been properly installed or an $8 padlock had been placed to secure it from swinging, the world wouldn't have lost "a young woman influencer destined to become our society's future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates, or Oprah Winfrey. In his ruling, Judge Jenkins said that the death was gruesome and overwhelmingly shocking.. Attorney Deborah Chang, who filed the claim on behalf of Michaud, as well as Nakajjigos parents, wrote that the National Park Service has for years used entrance and exit gates made of metal poles with spear-like sharp ends, and they were known to swing into roadways when left unsecured.. Its near it but not there. Market data provided by Factset. According to CBS News, neither the U.S. government nor the Nakajjigo family disputed the facts of 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. Webcam Entrance Station Webcam 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. WebEsther Essie Nakajjigo was 25 years old when an unsecured gate inside Arches National Park swung open and impaled the vehicle she was a passenger in, killing her. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. WebThe photo in this video of the arch is Corona Arch and I dont its in Archs national park. Nakajjigo worked on fundraising to open a hospital in an underserved part of Kampala, Uganda's capital, became a philanthropic celebrity and immigrated to the United States for a fellowship at the Boulder, Colorado-based Watson Institute for emerging leaders. Nakajjigo and Michaud, a French-born tech solutions architect, met on a dating app last year and tied the knot at a courthouse ceremony in March. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. WebVideo 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 (CCA-BY-2.0). RELATED: Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. "The trail up to Delicate Arch has reopened for use. Both claims ask for $15 million in damages for wrongful death. Nakajjigo moved to Boulder, Colorado when she was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute and began a social entrepreneurship program in 2019. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. ", First published on November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM. The pair married in March of this year. Shes got quite a few projects started, and we need to make sure those projects survive after her. Instead, the familys civil lawsuit largely focused on the amount of damages merited. "How do you measure someone like her? Employees knew or should have known that winds strong enough to carve stone are certainly strong enough to blow an unrestrained metal pipe gate into the path of an oncoming vehicle, wrote Chang, who plans to file a formal lawsuit if the claim is rejected.. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. The park was at capacity and it was just after 8 a.m. National parks want to 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Please enter valid email address to continue. Michaud and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were in Arches National Park. Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution," the tweet 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. 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 A 30-year-old man who also fell was hospitalized; his current condition is unknown. "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Nakajjigo, adds CBS, had grown up in poverty. Nakajjigo was born in Kampala, Uganda, and used her university tuition money to start a nonprofit community health care center when she was 17, providing free reproductive health services to girls and young women, according to a biography included in the claim. 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. (AP Photo/Lindsay Whitehurst, File). Chief Ranger Scott Brown said a 65-year-old man and 60-year-old woman died after falling into the bowl area near Delicate Arch. Her family is filing a $270 million wrongful death claim against the park, saying her death was preventable. A lot of people just want to continue that because thats what she would have wanted from us.. WebThe 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 park which has over 2000 arches that Michaud, who lived with his Ugandan wife in Denver, Colorado, wasn't injured in the accident, but he told the news station he was completely covered in his wife's blood. More Videos Next up in 5 She moved to Boulder, Colorado, to attend the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators. In the courts ruling, Judge Jenkins awarded $9.5 million to Nakajjigos husband, $700,000 to her mother, and $350,000 to her father. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. On October 22, Michaud filed a wrongful death claim against the US National Parks Service seeking $270million in damages. She was also named Uganda's Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony; just a few of her numerous humanitarian awards. That same year, she was awarded the Woman Achiever Award from the United Nations Population Fund. The National parks Service didn't respond to a request for comment on the claim from The Sun. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Decapitated human rights activists family wins $10 million lawsuit after accident at Utah park, Denver newlyweds trip to Arches National Park ends with wifes death, Family awarded $10.5 million for newlywed decapitated by metal gate at Arches National Park in Utah. Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com All rights reserved. Employees knew or should have known that winds strong enough to carve stone are certainly strong enough to blow an unrestrained metal pipe gate into the path of an oncoming vehicle, Chang wrote in the claim. Her husband, Ludovic Michaud, and her parents in October filed a $270 million wrongful-death claim a precursor to the formal lawsuit alleging that the gate should have been secured to prevent it from swinging into the road. DENVER (CBS4) - The family of a woman killed while visiting Arches National Park is hoping they can change the dangerous conditions that lead to her death and continue the philanthropy she inspired around the globe. Michaud is asking for more than $220 million in damages for wrongful death, and $20 million in damages for personal injury. In the fatal incident, a gust of wind apparently dislodged it and sent it smashing into the passenger side of the couples rented car. 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