She later created a pair of reality television shows designed to empower women. Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. 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. Nakajjigo created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. (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. 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. I know all the parks around Moab Its one of my favourite places in the US, if not my favourite place.. As recreation areas in eastern Utah reopened that summer, Michaud was excited to take his new wife to Arches National Park, and the two drove there in June. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it.. All this building towards the $140million in damages. She was also awarded a full scholarship from the king of Buganda. Courtesy Ludovic Michaud Nakajjigo. The lawsuit filed by Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, claims his wife Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while in the passenger seat of a car exiting Arches National Park. 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. They stipulate, however, that the plaintiffs should be awarded $22,508 for Nakajjigo's funeral expenses and $5,000 for Michaud's therapy expenses. 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. Michaud hopes he and Nakajjigos family can continue her legacy. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. She was subsequently named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. Updated: Jan 31, 2023 / 03:49 PM MST. The gate narrowly avoided Michaud, who was left covered head to toe in his wife's blood. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. November 12, 2020 / 2:34 PM During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The claim, served Oct. 22, is seeking more than $270 million in damages from the National Park Service. 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. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Arches National Park in 2020. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. Jenkins awarded Michaud $9.5 million; Nakajjigos mother, Christine Namagembe, $700,000; and her father, John Bosco Kateregga, $350,000. I was a couple of inches from dying, but I didnt, and right now I have a mission: Its to make sure what shes done continues.. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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 on a trip to the Utah park with 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. In his ten-page verdict, U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins said the government admitted fault and apologized for Nakajjigos death. A newlywed Denver couple's road trip to Arches National Park in Utah this summer ended in . When he inhaled the copper-tinged smell of blood, turned to figure out what it was and saw his beheaded wife. Because neither the U.S. nor Nakajjigos family disputed the facts of the case, the civil suit focused largely on the amount of damages merited. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. The family of Esther Nakajjigo accused the National Park Service of negligence for not properly securing the metal gate that killed her. The French national said he and his wife, who had only been married for three months and lived in Denver, Colorado, had been on a hike and had lunch before driving out of the park. SALT LAKE CITY The family of human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, who was decapitated in an accident in Arches National Park, has sued the National Park Service. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Fox13 reports the metal. 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,. 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.. 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. 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. None. Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo's husband and parents initially filed a $270 million claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death 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. 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. Cruise staffer fired after shock bathroom act, Passengers injured as turbulence rocks plane. They wed in a courthouse ceremony in March 2020, three months before her death, and had plans to have a big ceremony in Uganda when it was safe to travel again. 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. / CBS Colorado. 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. Nakajjigo was killed instantly. 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. 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 . Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. 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. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. 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. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. 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 . 2023 EHM Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. They said you have to lock it or its going to impale a car, so everyone knows, Chang said. 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. By his verdict, Judge Bruce Jenkins has shown the world how the American justice system works to hold its own government accountable and greatly values all lives, including that of Esther Nakajjigo, a remarkable young woman from Uganda, Randi McGinn, the familys attorney said in a statement. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. We hope that, in some way, the conclusion of this trial will help with your moving forward.". The amount was far less than the $140 million Nakajjigos family originally sought. He no longer has a TV in his apartment because the sight of any blood is triggering, he said. Instead, Michaud met his wife's family -- who traveled to the States from Uganda -- for the first time just before the trial started. 72 Join Insider . National parks begin to reopen across the country. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigos family, on Monday asked the family to leave when he described the death in gruesome detail. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. The wind whipped a metal. 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. I felt completely meaningless after losing Nakajjigo, he said. 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. Sign up today. 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. 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. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement, [] The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her . 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. What if he hadn't suggested the trip to Arches? 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. 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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 . Esther Nakajjigo and her husband were visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. Seven people have been rushed to hospital after severe turbulence on a flight led to an emergency landing. 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. She was particularly passionate about reducing teenage pregnancy and created two reality television shows that empowered women. Diana Dasrath is entertainment producer and senior reporter for NBC News covering all platforms. Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do, Can't take statins? They had wanted three children. 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. There is a lot of small things I miss.. Mail that Nakajjigo has continued to receive after her death has been a stark reminder of the life they should still be enjoying together. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. 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.. What if he hadn't suggested the trip. Attorneys for the government have not disputed that park officials are at fault but instead have disputed how much the family should be awarded. The family of a human rights activist killed in a freak accident at Utah's Arches State Park won $10.5 million in damages from the U.S. government. 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. 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. 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 trip to the wind-weathered sandstone of Arches National Park was supposed to be a celebration a chance for Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, to show his new wife one of his favorite landmarks. "Because (Nakajjigo) is off the charts, you can't use the charts to evaluate her," McGinn said. Nelson, the governments attorney, has said an appropriate award would be $3.5million (2.9m). While much less than they were initially seeking, the family was clearly pleased with the results -- with attorney Zoe Littlepage calling the amount "the largest verdict from a federal judge in Utah history.". But now, Michaud said, he returns to an apartment that doesn't feel like a home.