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. The National Park Service did not respond to repeated inquiries from NBC News, nor did Arches National Park Chief Ranger Scott Brown. The woman I loved and I saw her for just her.. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations, CBS Colorado reported. Show your support Send Flowers Send flowers or a sympathy gift to a service or family. She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. Its likely the first step in a lengthy federal lawsuit. A National Park Service spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday. Esther Nakajjigo, age 25, of Denver, Colorado passed away on Saturday June 13, 2020. Family of woman killed by gate at Arches National Park awarded $10.2M Nominate Someone for a FOX 13 Dream Team Surprise! 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. 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. "I don't want anyone or any other family to go through what we've been through," Michaud told CBS affiliate KUTV. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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 "Essie" Nakajjigo. First published on December 6, 2022 / 9:23 AM. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Chang has filed a $270 million claim for wrongful death. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Wilson Jaga, head of communications for the Office of Ugandas Ambassador for Women and Girls, advocated for her return in a statement obtained by the outlet, writing: We have also petitioned the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda requesting that H. E. Esther Nakajjigos short lived but very instrumental life be celebrated and Essie accorded a State Funeral as a symbol of recognition of small interventions made by young people to make their country a great nation. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. Michaud and Nakajjigo met over a dating app while they both had recently arrived in the Denver area. ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, UTAH: More than 2 years after a woman was killed in a Utah national park, her husband and her family are suing the US government for $140 million in damages. "Our sympathies go out to Esther Nakajjigo's family, friends and those whose lives she impacted," Public Affairs specialist Vanessa Lacayo said in a statement. 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. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the U.S. government must pay her family more than $10 million in damages. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. How do you measure someone like her? Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. 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. It impaled their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhampdenmortuary.com for the Nakajjigo family. He didnt know Nakajjigo had a massive following in her native Uganda. It could have happened to anyone and if nothing is done, its going to happen again, he said. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. 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 head . Heading out the door? 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. A federal judge this week awarded $10.5 million to the family of a Denver woman. The ruling was. FOX 13 Investigates: Family sues over death of woman killed in Arches Mail that Nakajjigo has continued to receive after her death has been a stark reminder of the life they should still be enjoying together. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. At 17 years old, Nakajjigo used her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center, NBC News reported. Throughout the trial, attorneys debated estimates of Nakajjigos earnings potential. 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. She was consistently working to improve the lives of women in Africa and beyond. The couple was leaving a park parking lot to get ice cream when a metal traffic control gate swung into the road, piercing the passenger side of the couples rental car and severing Nakajjigos head. She said there was nothing that visually set them apart. Nakajjigo was a celebrated human rights activist in Uganda, her home country, Moab Sun News continued. The couple hiked to Delicate Arch and ate lunch in the Windows area before starting their drive out of the park. National parks begin to reopen across the country. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. He filed his claim October 22. After COVID-19 closures were lifted, the newlyweds took a trip to Arches National Park. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. / CBS Colorado. 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 family's attorney said in a statement. Family of Esther Nakajjigo awarded over $10 million from U.S 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. Liability is the exception rather than the rule, Kozlowski said. 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.. They were driving toward the exit when suddenly a gust of wind lifted a metal gate and the arm swung into the roadway. Michaud and his in-laws previously filed a claim with the National Park Service a step toward filing the lawsuit asking for $270 million. The two married in March in a courthouse ceremony and had plans to have a big wedding in Uganda once it was safe to travel again, the outlet reported. The wrongful death claim was served on October 22 and seeks more than $270 million in damages from the National Park Service, the outlet reported. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. Shes done more at the age of 25 than most people do in their entire lives, she said. No services are scheduled at this time. 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. 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. Recreation areas had recently opened after pandemic-era closures and, on the edge of Arches, a metal gate normally secured with a lock was left untethered. 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. Esther Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud) Nakajjigo, 25, was a Ugandan human rights activist and moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder. 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. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. Nakajjigo received numerous international accolades and awards and had come to the United States to further her education, participating in programs at Drexel University in Philadelphia as a Mandela Washington Fellow and at the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, where she was the recipient of a Luff Peace Fellowship. On a windy spring day in 2020, Ludovic Michaud and his newlywed wife, Esther Nakajjigo, who was an actress and singer from Uganda, were traveling through Arches National Park when Nakajjigo was decapitated by a metal . 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. Her passions included lowering teen pregnancy, as well as creating two reality television shows that empowered women, the outlet reported. Nakajjigo created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. Nakajjigos family will have to show her death was caused by more than negligence, said James C. Kozlowski, an associate professor of recreation management at George Mason University who studies legal issues in the outdoor industry. Michaud, in February, told FOX 13 about the trip to the park. 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.. 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Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. 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. The complaint also describes how Michaud had to witness the grisly scene. 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. I found her really interesting. "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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. . 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.