As the couple was leaving the park, gusts of wind swung the gate around rapidly, enough to slice through the passenger side door of the couple's car, decapitating Nakajjigo as her husband sat feet away in the driver's seat. Im still struggling with that, Michaud said. The family's lawsuit claims when the national parks reopened in April 2020 after being shuttered due to COVID-19, rangers at the national park in Utah didn't 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.". 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on a windy summer day in 2020 when a piece of a metal gate from Utah's Arches National Park broke through the passenger door and decapitated her - and now her husband. Michaud, from France, took a job at a start-up. Her husband was not harmed, the station added. The couple hiked to Delicate Arch and ate lunch in the Windows area before starting their drive out of the park. Olinger Hampden Mortuary, Cremation & Cemetery, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. "Multiple fatalities" in massive pile-up on Illinois highway, Yellen warns U.S. could default on debt as early as June 1. The United Nations Population Fund awarded her a Woman Achiever Award," the claim states. 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. Let others know about your loved one's death. How do you measure someone like her? I didnt know who she was at first, the 26-year-old expressed to NBC News. Illinois highway pile-up causes multiple deaths, police say, Trump motion to declare mistrial in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit denied, Transgender Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr sues over censure, Debt ceiling standoff heats up over veterans' programs, U.S. tracking high-altitude balloon first spotted off Hawaii, Biden administration ending vaccine mandate for federal workers, travelers, The weirdest items passengers leave behind in Ubers. Esther was born April 16, 1995. She was best known for a reality show in Uganda that reached millions of viewers. What happens to First Republic Bank's stock and deposits now? 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. 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. They were driving toward the exit when suddenly a gust of wind lifted a metal gate and the arm swung into the roadway. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Michaud, who hails from France, told the station during his first interview since his wifes death that he just saw her as a smart person who loved to laugh.. Michaud hopes he and Nakajjigos family can continue her legacy. 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 By SAM METZ Associated Press January 31, 2023, 11:37 AM 2:19 National headlines from ABC News Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. December 6, 2022 / 9:23 AM Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhampdenmortuary.com for the Nakajjigo family. Download the app . For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. They said claims by the family's lawyers that Nakajjigo, who was 25 at the time of her death, was on track to be a nonprofit CEO shortly were too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. 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 gruesome nature of Nakajjigo's death and the fact that she was a renowned Ugandan womens rights activist drew widespread attention to the case. "For how majestic these parks are, it's kind of shocking how rudimentary these gates are," she said. 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. "Emergency response personnel from the National Park Service, Grand County Sheriffs Office, Grand County EMS, Moab City Police Department, Utah Highway Patrol and Moab Valley Fire Department responded to the scene to provide assistance. I found her really interesting. In other words, he added, theres no liability for ordinary negligence. At 17 years old, Nakajjigo used her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center, NBC News reported. Im still trying to figure out how to move forward, how to wake up in the morning., What he saw and experienced that day, I cannot even imagine, said Deborah Chang, an attorney representing Michaud and the Nakajjigo family. Please enter valid email address to continue. I found her really interesting. Chang has filed a $270 million claim for wrongful death. Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Esther Nakajjigo. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. At age 17, Nakajjigo was recognized by the United Nations for her work for women, according to the claim. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good," the claim said. Of the accidents aftermath, Michaud told FOX 13: I saw the worst thing I hope I will ever see.. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah . FOX 13 reported earlier this year how Nakajjigo died June 13, 2020, after wind caught a traffic control gate and blew it into the rented Chevy Malibu driven by her husband, Ludo Michaud. A spokeswoman said the single vehicle accident happened June 13 on the entrance road of Arches National Park, near the Visitor's Center, and that the entrance was shut down for several hours. I dont know how I could stand to see another thing like that happen, and I just want to make sure we do whatever we can to avoid, to save another life.. In June, Nakajjigo was visiting the park with her new husband, Ludovic Michaud, Moab Sun News reported. Liability is the exception rather than the rule, Kozlowski said. Jenkins awarded Michaud $9.5 million; Nakajjigos mother, Christine Namagembe, $700,000; and her father, John Bosco Kateregga, $350,000. In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. Michaud says he wants to keep her legacy going, but he also wants the gates at National Parks and forests across the U.S. to be safe for visitors. 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. Nakajjigo created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. One time it was the delivery of her Social Security card; another time, an update on her immigration status. We loved getting out and going to beautiful places, Michaud said. Several dozen per day. Trying To Figure Out How To Move Forward: Widower Of Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate At Arches National Park Struggles After Trauma. / CBS Colorado. The couple had been married about three months. The wind whipped a metal. It impaled their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. The organization was tailored toward reducing the risk of teenage pregnancy among teens. The Uganda native met Michaud in June 2019 through a dating app in Aurora, Colorado, according to NBC News. They said you have to lock it or its going to impale a car, so everyone knows, Chang said. 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. Nakajjigo also created a reality television show in Uganda focused on helping teenage mothers stay in school and learn life skills. 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. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. Michaud was not injured in the accident, but he was covered head-to-toe in his wifes blood. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. But rather a sex object, a cola to quench sexual thirst of sex-hungry men who have power and control in the refugee settlements. Esther Nakajjigo was a prominent Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in Utah's Arches National Park in 2020. Other reasons for that sum is who Nakajjigo was and what she. Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. 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. 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.. Heres what you need to know about Esther Nakajjigo: Saving Innocence Challenge is a high school reality TV show of urban school girls empowering their rural counterparts to prevail over teenage pregnancy and keep in school. The plaintiffs contend multiple federal policies require such gates to be secured, but that the gate near the visitors center at Arches was unlatched for two weeks before it struck Nakajjigo. Nakajjigos family and friends in Uganda started a petition to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Health in the country to make an exception for the young activist, the newspaper continued. Nakajjigo was a celebrated human rights activist in Uganda, her home country, Moab Sun News continued. Please enter valid email address to continue. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the Salt Lake Tribune. 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. She was consistently working to improve the lives of women in Africa and beyond. The family Essie Nakajjigo, an activist who died in Arches National Park in 2020, is preparing to head to trial for a wrongful death lawsuit. Esther Nakajjigo, a Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in Arches National Park in Utah on June 13, 2020. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. "The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Uganda's 'Young Personality of the Year,'" the Denver Post reported. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud visited the park in mid June. Michaud and his in-laws previously filed a claim with the National Park Service a step toward filing the lawsuit asking for $270 million. She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 'Shadow pandemic': Women, girls bear unequal share of Covid-19 burden, U.N. official warns, National parks begin to reopen across the country. Nakajjigo was a performer who used her celebrity to improve the status of women and girls in Uganda. She served as an ambassador for women and girls in her native Uganda, and created a reality TV show to combat early pregnancy and forced marriage. According to Deborah Chang, the Los Angeles-based trial attorney representing Michaud, there was nothing he could have done to swerve out of the way of the gate that killed his wife and narrowly missed him. He said he didn't deny Nakajjigo was an extraordinary person, but argued it was difficult to speculate what kind of work she would have gone on to do. The horror of Nakajjigo's death is one reason Michaud has filed a claim with the National Park Service seeking $270 million. In June, the couple needed a break from quarantine, so they drove to Utah. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhampdenmortuary.com for the Nakajjigo family. 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 US National Parks Service seeking . Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. The end of the gate impaled the car like a lance, and literally beheaded his newly-wed bride right in front of him.. "This act of selflessness went viral throughout Uganda, and she was featured in numerous magazines and news publications. . Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Its likely the first step in a lengthy federal lawsuit. 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. Posted at 10:15 PM, Nov 12, 2020 According to Moab Sun News, the Ugandan government on April 19 forbade the repatriation of the remains of Ugandans who pass away abroad over fears of the coronavirus. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. Nakajjigo, who went by Essie, was a womens rights champion in Uganda. The same year, Nakajjigo was. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together.. They had a courthouse ceremony in March, with plans to throw a big wedding in Uganda once it was safe to travel again. Activist Esther Nakajjigo dies in the U.S NTVUganda 930K subscribers Subscribe 28K views 2 years ago The family of Esther Nakajjigo a Ugandan Activist who died in the US is asking the.
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