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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. (AP Photo/Lindsay Whitehurst, File). According to the family's claim, three other people have died from similar accidents with unsecured gates over the past 32 years. 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. 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.. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died in June 2020 as she and her husband of three months drove out of the park, in southern Utah. Trial begins two years after newlywed was beheaded by metal gate 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. 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. "The trail up to Delicate Arch has reopened for use. National Park NPS faces wrongful death claim after newlywed decapitated by This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the claim said. The pair married in March of this year. At 17, She was named an Ambassador for Uganda's Women girls by nonprofit organization IREX. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. Trial begins for woman decapitated at Arches National Park Esther WebUSA TODAY 0:00 0:49 Two people died Friday while hiking in Arches National Park in Utah. Legal Reader is devoted to protecting consumers. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The young Ugandan human rights activist was decapitated by an unsecured metal gate on the periphery of Arches National Park. She and Michaud were married in March, and the two traveled to Arches to celebrate the one-year anniversary of when they first met on a dating app. 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. It's likely the first step in a lengthy federal lawsuit. 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. Nakajjigo was involved in countless philanthropic endeavors. Arches National Park: 2 people die after falling while hiking - USA 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. 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 The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state our community can better understand itself. 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 7 CHILDREN INJURED IN NEW YORK BUS CRASH THAT DAMAGED HOME, 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.". WebDenver 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 Join the conversation! Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution," the tweet said. She was decapitated. Trial to begin for human rights activist killed by gate in Arches You may experience delays during the busy season between March and October and on holiday weekends. 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. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. 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. Image via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr/user: Brian Turner. Last updated: August 16, 2022 Was this page helpful? 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Market data provided by Factset. The park which has over 2000 arches that Denver man files suit after wife's death at National Park - KMGH The webcams below provide views from either end of the Arches National Park entrance road. According to CBS News, Esther Essie Nakajjigo was killed after a metal gate at Arches sliced through the passenger side of the vehicle driven by her newlywed husband. WebSALT LAKE CITY Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, was driving around the scenic red rock landscapes of Utah's Arches National Park on a windy spring day in 2020 when something Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. "How do you measure someone like her? Drop us a note at [email protected]. In Colorado, she met Michaud, who had moved there from France. The National Park Service has, in fact, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous condition for its park invitees, the claim reads, noting three other instances since 1988 in which people in cars were killed by such gates. 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 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. Ludovic Michaud says that his wife, 25-year-old Esther Nakajjigo, was decapitated when a metal gate swung into their 2020 Chevy Malibu as they were leaving the park on June 13, 2020, according to the claim. Denver newlyweds trip to Arches National Park ends with wifes According to the claim, 25-year-old Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while sitting in the passenger seat of a car that was exiting Arches National Park. By the time Nakajjigo left Uganda to pursue a fully-funded leadership course in Denver, she had raised enough money to build health care facilities in her hometown. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. 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.". Michaud and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were in Arches National Park. 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. 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. Video 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 sheriffs report. Chang said she plans to file a formal lawsuit if the claim is rejected. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Ludovic Michaud and Essie Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud), Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. 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. Music, radio and podcasts, all free. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. 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. A 30-year-old man who also fell was hospitalized; his current condition is unknown. As they entered, high winds blew the park entrance gate a swinging pole back across the highway. The couple was on their way to get ice cream when "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter," according to the claim, which was obtained by NBC News. 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. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on June 13, 2020 when she, along with her new husband Ludovic Michaud, visited Utah. 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. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. Park staff told investigators that the gates own weight usually kept it in place, according to a report from the Grand County sheriffs office. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Newlywed killed by swinging gate at Arches National Park She was living in Boulder, Colorado, and attending the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators, when she met Michaud. The show had an audience of 6.3 million every week. He told NBC that the harrowing accident has left him traumatized, and he continues to suffer from PTSD months after. Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. The most famous arch is the Delicate Arch which Is in Archs National Park. Arches National Park, which has more than 2,000 natural stone arches,closed Delicate Arch on Friday for a about six hours before it reopened, the parksaid on Twitter. FOX 13 Investigates: Grisly decapitation of ambassador at Arches The humanitarian had traveled to the US to further her studies and was awarded with the Luff Peace Fellowship by the University of Boulder in Colorado. More Videos Next up in 5 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. Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. 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. RELATED: Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. 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. 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. ", First published on November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM. Provided by death WebThe photo in this video of the arch is Corona Arch and I dont its in Archs national park. WebAccording to the claim, 25-year-old Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while sitting in the passenger seat of a car that was exiting Arches National Park. "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," the claim says. 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 Several dozen per day. The trial over a wrong death lawsuit of a Ugandan activist has begun. She also created a popular reality television series that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. 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. 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