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. Opening statements previewed how the trial will hinge less on varying accounts of the accident and instead focus on Nakajiigo's biography and earning potential, which is used to calculate a portion of the damages. "The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Uganda's 'Young Personality of the Year,'" the Post reported. Esther Nakajjigo is a former Uganda activist who was decapitated this summer at the Utah Arches National Park. The end of the gate impaled the car like a lance, and literally beheaded his newly-wed bride right in front of him.. He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. The claim describes Nakajjigos final moments in graphic detail and says the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter.. FOX 13 reported earlier this year how Nakajjigo died June 13, 2020. I felt completely meaningless after losing Nakajjigo, he said. Show your support Send Flowers Send flowers or a sympathy gift to a service or family. Chang expects to file the lawsuit in about six months. Esther Nakajjigo was a prominent Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in Utah's Arches National Park in 2020. "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good," the claim said. 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. 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. 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.". Esther Nakajjigo, a Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in Arches National Park in Utah on June 13, 2020. 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. What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. The family of Esther Nakajjigo accused the National Park Service of negligence for not properly securing the metal gate that killed her. The park service previously issued a statement expressing sympathy to Nakajjigos family. I couldnt work properly for a couple of months. After COVID-19 closures were lifted, the newlyweds took a trip to Arches National Park. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "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. In June, Nakajjigo was visiting the park with her new husband, Ludovic Michaud, Moab Sun News reported. "I've always wanted to meet him, though not in this way," he said. How do you measure someone like her? The woman I loved and I saw her for just her.. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Add a Memory With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. 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. According to NBC News, Nakajjigo was named as Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. She said there was nothing that visually set them apart. Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Several dozen per day. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. In June, the couple needed a break from quarantine, so they drove to Utah. SALT LAKE CITY A judge awarded $10.2 million to the family and spouse of Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo, who was killed by an unsecured gate at Arches National Park in 2020.. Nakajjigo, 25, a women's rights activist from Uganda, was killed when driving in Arches National Park with Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud during a camping trip on June 13, 2020. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential. CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. Trump fatigue. The same year, Nakajjigo was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. Esther Nakajjigo Of Denver Decapitated By Gate :Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park [VIDEO] Trying To Figure Out How To Move Forward': Widower Of Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate At Arches National Park Struggles After Trauma I didnt know who she was at first, Michaud, 26, told NBC News in his first interview since Nakajjigos death. 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. A federal judge this week awarded $10.5 million to the family of a Denver woman. Powered by, according to a wrongful death administrative claim obtained by NBC News, Famous Rappers Brother Dies From Apparent Suicide. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Ludovic Michaud and his new wife . Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together, he said. The young activist participated in programs at Drexel University in Philadelphia as a Mandela Washington Fellow and at the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado as a Luff Peace Fellow, Moab Sun News said. A widow and his wife's family are seeking $140 million in damages from the U.S. government more than two years after a woman was killed in a Utah national park. The couple, who lived together in Denver, Colorado, were exiting the park on June 13 to get ice cream when a metal gate swung loose and pierced their car, the newspaper continued. @ArielleHarrison https://t.co/YoCT50YObz. Esther Nakajjigo. Its likely the first step in a lengthy federal lawsuit. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. Businessman Awarded Sh126 Million for Land Forcefully Taken to Build SGR The Environment and Land Court has awarded over Sh126 Hotel Rwanda hero and government critic arrives in US Paul Rusesabagina, an outspoken critic of the Rwandan government, has arrived 2023 SAMRACK - Diaspora News & Updates; design by: Samrack. She 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, and had successfully raised funds to build health care facilities in her hometown. Nominate Someone for a FOX 13 Dream Team Surprise! For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. First published on December 6, 2022 / 9:23 AM. Here's how. Trying To Figure Out How To Move Forward: Widower Of Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate At Arches National Park Struggles After Trauma. Esther Nakajjigo, age 25, of Denver, Colorado passed away on Saturday June 13, 2020. Nakajjigo was a performer who used her celebrity to improve the status of women and girls in Uganda. 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. "Multiple fatalities" in massive pile-up on Illinois highway, Yellen warns U.S. could default on debt as early as June 1. Everything reminds Michaud of Nakajjigo. The horror of Nakajjigo's death is one reason Michaud has filed a claim with the National Park Service seeking $270 million. Nakajjigo, who was 25 at the time, was "needlessly decapitated," according to a wrongful death administrative claim obtained by NBC News. 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. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. 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. 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. The couple hiked to Delicate Arch and ate lunch in the Windows area before starting their drive out of the park. They were driving toward the exit when suddenly a gust of wind lifted a metal gate and the arm swung into the roadway. 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. Nakajjigo was a celebrated human rights activist in Uganda, her home country, Moab Sun News continued. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. The claim, served Oct. 22, is seeking more than $270 million in damages from the National Park Service. 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. The metal pole forming the top of the gate pierced the passenger side of the car and struck Nakajjigo in the head and neck. Michaud hopes he and Nakajjigos family can continue her legacy. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhampdenmortuary.com for the Nakajjigo family. Let others know about your loved one's death. She also said it should have been installed to swing inwards for incoming traffic, not outwards. 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. He filed his claim October 22. 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. 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. Posted at 10:15 PM, Nov 12, 2020 But when she met Michaud in June 2019 in Aurora, Colorado, through a dating app, he just saw her as a smart person who loved to laugh. Saving Innocence, one of the shows, depicted teenage girls from urban areas helping teen moms in rural communities go back to school, NBC News said. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. They argued that had employees installed the gate properly and secured it with an $8 padlock, Nakajjigos death could have been prevented, NBC News reported. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. McGinn said if her life hadn't been cut short that Nakajjigo's trajectory suggested she would have gone on to become a nonprofit CEO who could eventually have netted an annual income in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions. If you have a story idea or tip for the FOX 13 Investigative unit, please share it with us below: Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. 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. 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.. One also took place on federal government property in the 80s, the outlet continued, when a U.S. Forest Service road closure gate impaled a California camper. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the Salt Lake Tribune. The family is hoping to use money from the case to continue Essies projects. Nakajjigo and her husband Ludovic Michaud were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the region's national parks months after their wedding. 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. 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.. 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. 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.. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good," the claim continues. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. . Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. The ruling was. She was also awarded a full scholarship from the king of Buganda. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. Even simple tasks like cooking rice stored in a jar that Nakajjigo bought before her death feel paralyzing, he said. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. First published on November 12, 2020 / 2:34 PM. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. Download the app . It could have happened to anyone and if nothing is done, its going to happen again, he said. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. It impaled their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Utah's Arches National Park when a metal pipe from a swinging gate decapitated her. 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.. The United States will pay family members of Esther Nakajjigo, a Ugandan human rights activist killed in an accident at Arches National Park more than $10 million in damages, a federal judge ruled . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Throughout the trial, attorneys debated estimates of Nakajjigo's earnings potential. The. Esther Nakajjigo was exiting the park June 13 when the sharp end of a freely swinging gate pierced her car, killing Nakajjigo and narrowly missing her husband. 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. After seeing a pregnant 14-year-old girl die during a difficult delivery, Nakajjigo decided to use her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center that provided free reproductive health services to females aged 10-24. Esther Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud). She was consistently working to improve the lives of women in Africa and beyond. Diana Dasrath is entertainment producer and senior reporter for NBC News covering all platforms. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband were visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. The suit was filed last week in federal court in Denver by the widower and parents of Nakajjigo. Randy Rost was injured when the camper pickup truck in which he was riding was impaled on a piece of gate in the Stanislaus National Forest, California, according to a court document. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations. Liability is the exception rather than the rule, Kozlowski said. We loved getting out and going to beautiful places, Michaud said. Its still hard to concentrate, but I try to.. 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The Uganda native met Michaud in June 2019 through a dating app in Aurora, Colorado, according to NBC News. Upon leaving, an unsecured metal gate swung into the road, killing Nakajjigo who was sitting in the passenger seat. Initiative by the late @nakajjigo | https://t.co/hMEUS3a5uj pic.twitter.com/OBhxkiPqPZ, Urban Television (@UrbanTVUganda) October 25, 2020. The couple had been married about three months. Their economic expert will testify that her death represents a. "She was the woman I was trying to spend my life with," said the Parisian who'd moved to the U.S. "Everything was perfect.". At 17 years old, Nakajjigo used her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center, NBC News reported. What it means to be a woman in the world's largest refugee settlement..it means you don't own anything not even your body. IE 11 is not supported. 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. The family of Esther Nakajjigo was awarded over $10 million from the U.S. government in a wrongful death case stemming from a tragic accident in 2020. The United Nations Population Fund awarded her a Woman Achiever Award," the claim states. At this time, I do not have more information to share.". She received multiple honors for her humanitarian work and was attending a leadership program in Bolder, Colorado, at the time of her death. Her dreams were just about to come true, Chang said. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. They said you have to lock it or its going to impale a car, so everyone knows, Chang said. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. She met Michaud on Tinder in 2019, when she was attending a leadership program in Boulder, Colorado. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Denver7 reached out to he National Park Service to ask about the accident. They argued that had employees installed the gate properly and secured it with an $8 padlock, Nakajjigos death could have been prevented, 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, on Monday. 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, age 25, of Denver, Colorado passed away on Saturday June 13, 2020.
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