Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. The family is hoping to use money from the case to continue Essie's projects. This story has been updated to correct Michauds age. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2 injured, including officer, in Aurora crash, 2 hurt, including officer, in rollover crash, Documentary featuring local family coping with loss after suicide aims to open up conversations, 77 inches of snow fall at Colorado ski area in 9 days, Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Drexel University, Luff Peace Fellowship at Watson Institute, Search of Aurora house in case of missing teen Lashaya Stine continues, Head brewer at Denver Beer Co. dies in climbing accident. A gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung across the roadway. 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November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM You may experience delays during the busy season between March and October and on holiday weekends. Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com Both claims ask for $15 million in damages for wrongful death. 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. "Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again," Michaud said. Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo Michaud, 26, were driving to get ice cream during a camping trip June 13 when a metal gate blew closed in strong winds and sliced through the side of their car like a hot knife through butter, according to the administrative claim, which was filed in October. In Colorado, she met Michaud, who had moved there from France. WebMOAB, Utah Ludo Michaud heard a loud noise. In the courts ruling, Judge Jenkins awarded $9.5 million to Nakajjigos husband, $700,000 to her mother, and $350,000 to her father. 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. The most important thing for me is to try continuing what shes done, Michaud said. She was decapitated. 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. Market data provided by Factset. Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. She also created a popular reality television series that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. She and Michaud were married in March. Example video title will go here for this video. Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. Her family is filing a $270 million wrongful death claim against the park, saying her death was preventable. Legal Reader is devoted to protecting consumers. The three people involved were related, Brown said. Family photo. "She's got quite a few projects started, and we need to make sure those projects survive after A lot of people just want to continue that because that's what she would have wanted from us.". WebHikers walk beside the Delicate Arch at sunset in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah on April 21, 2018. 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. Shes got quite a few projects started, and we need to make sure those projects survive after her. Chang said she plans to file a formal lawsuit if the claim is rejected. 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. According to CBS News, neither the U.S. government nor the Nakajjigo family disputed the facts of the claim. WebThe 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. After COVID-19 closures were lifted, the newlyweds took a trip to Arches National Park. The Grand County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident. WebWhen I went to Arches National Park in 2021, I got turned around at the gate. Instead, the familys civil lawsuit largely focused on the amount of damages merited. As they entered, high winds blew the park entrance gate a swinging pole back across the highway. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who is originally from Paris but now lives in Denver. 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. "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. On the edge of the park, a metal gate normally secured with a lock was left untethered. Ludovic Michaud and Essie Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud), Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Suspect arrested after 6 stabbed in downtown L.A. 3 arrested for nearly $1 million in stolen student, Carjacking suspect shot in wild chase in L.A. County, Newport Beach home dangling after cliffside collapse, Over $38M stolen from low-income SoCal families, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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, sliced through the passenger door of his car and decapitated his new 25-year-old wife, Esther Nakajjigo. Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! "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," said Michaud. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. 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. WebThis incident happened June 13 just before 2 p.m. as the couple were leaving the park, according to the claim. 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. The familys claim said that three other people in cars were killed by such gates on National Park Service property since 1988. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year,' the Denver Post reported in a 2020 article detailing Nakajjigos death. 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 They were married in March 2020 and headed to Arches on a belated honeymoon as soon as the park reopened from its coronavirus shutdown. The United Nations Population Fund gave her a Woman Achiever Award when she was 17, and she was named Ugandas Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony. Denver woman Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud, were visiting Arches National Park in mid-June when a freak accident left Nakajjigo dead. All rights reserved. The young Ugandan human rights activist was decapitated by an unsecured metal gate on the periphery of Arches National Park. The webcams below provide views from either end of the Arches National Park entrance road. He is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. Courtesy 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. 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. ", "What he saw and experienced that day, I cannot even imagine," said Deborah Chang, an attorney representing Michaud and the Nakajjigo family. ", The widower described his late wife as someone who was "always willing to help.". "The end of the gate impaled the car like a lance, and literally beheaded his newly-wed bride right in front of him.". In opening statements Monday in Salt Lake City, attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigo's family said they were seeking $140 million in damages from the government. 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, attorney Randi McGinn said in a statement announcing the award. Nakajjigo, adds CBS, had grown up in poverty. On June 13, they had gone on a hike and had a picnic. WebEsther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Market data provided by Factset. Read more about Traffic and Travel Tips. Arches National Park is best known for its document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. / CBS Colorado. He told NBC that the harrowing accident has left him traumatized, and he continues to suffer from PTSD months after. 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. Esther Nakajjigo a human-rights advocate from Uganda who was studying at a leadership institute in Colorado was killed instantly in the June 13 incident. 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. A lot of people just want to continue that because thats what she would have wanted from us.. They married about three months prior. Several dozen per day. They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June from its coronavirus shutdown. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The National Park Service did not respond to an email seeking comment, and the media relations voicemail inbox was full and could not accept messages. "We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. Listen online or download the iHeart App. Nakijjijo, originally from Uganda, "was a world-renowned activist, movie and TV star as well as a youth influencer," the claim says. A video of the crash shows Michaud was driving and Nakajjigo was 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. As Nakajjigo and her husband were leaving Arches National Park, a strong gust of wind swung the gate with sufficient force to slice through the passenger door of the couples vehicle, decapitating Nakajjigo as her husband sat in the drivers seat. He didn't know Nakajjigo had a massive following in her native Uganda. More Videos Next up in 5 You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Michaud and Nakajjigo met over a dating app while they both had recently arrived in the Denver area. 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. ", First published on November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM. 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. United States attorneys do not dispute that park officials shouldered blame, but argued the amount the family should be awarded is far less and called into questions the ways in which the damages being sought were calculated. 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. She previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. Chief Ranger Scott Brown said a 65-year-old man and 60-year-old woman died after falling 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. On October 22, Michaud filed a wrongful death claim against the US National Parks Service seeking $270million in damages. In his ruling, Judge Jenkins said that the death was gruesome and overwhelmingly shocking.. 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 RELATED: Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. Upon leaving, an unsecured metal gate swung into the road, killing Nakajjigo who was sitting in the passenger seat. The United Nations Population Fund gave her a Woman Achiever Award when she was 17, and she was named Ugandas Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. 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. I'm still struggling with that," Michaud said. The couple had traveled to Arches in celebration of their one-year anniversary of meeting. There was less than a second between when the gate started to move and when it struck the car and killed Nakajjigo, according to the report. ", "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. "How do you measure someone like her? "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. WebThe photo in this video of the arch is Corona Arch and I dont its in Archs national park. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were on vacation in eastern Utah, visiting national parks across the region several months after their wedding. 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. Nakajjigo grew up in Uganda and at 17 was recognized by the United Nations for her work for women shed donated her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center that provided free reproductive health services to young women. 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. "I had a ton of flashbacks. 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Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The show had an audience of 6.3 million every week. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. "It could have happened to anyone and if nothing is done, it's going to happen again," he said. 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. She received numerous other humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. We take pride in exposing the hypocrisy of corporations, other organizations, and individuals whose actions put innocent people in harms way. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Lawmakers targeting hospital facility fees, (720) 263-2338 Call, text, Signal or WhatsApp, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Arches National Park, notes CBS News, had just re-opened recreation following a decrease in coronavirus cases. Image via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr/user: Brian Turner. just as COVID-19 was starting to make U.S. headlines, Do not sell or share my personal information. 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. 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. For want of an $8.00 basic padlock, 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, according to the claim, which is a precursor to a formal lawsuit. "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 gained national attention in Uganda and created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to the claim. In an email to The Associated Press, National Park Service spokeswoman Vanessa Lacayo expressed sympathy for Nakajjigos family, friends and those whose lives she touched but did not address the wrongful death claim. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Michaud is seeking $240 million in damages and Nakajjigo's parents are seeking $30 million. 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. For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the lawsuit said. 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. Its near it but not there. She'd come to Colorado to learn how to bolster her business acumen at the Watson Institute in Boulder. 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 United States government will pay more than $10 million to the family of a Ugandan human rights activist who was decapitated in a 2020 accident at Arches National Park in Utah. She was named the country's ambassador for women and girls soon after, and passionately advocated to reduce teen pregnancy and increase educational opportunities for Ugandan women.