NBC wrote that Nakajjigo 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, Colo., where she was the recipient of a Luff Peace Fellowship., Michaud, originally of France, was uninjured in the accident, but, according to NBCs report, has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder., Donate to the newsroom now. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) 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 lawsuit filed by Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, claims his wife Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while in the passenger seat of a car exiting Arches National Park. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it.. The family of a woman beheaded by a metal gate in front of her husband at a national park has launched a lawsuit for $140million (115m). She met Michaud on Tinder in 2019, when she was attending a leadership program in Boulder, Colorado. One time it was the delivery of her Social Security card; another time, an update on her immigration status. He no longer has a TV in his apartment because the sight of any blood is triggering, he said. In the opening statements of the wrongful death lawsuit, attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigos family recounted the moment Michaud realised his wife had been killed. Esther Nakajjigo lost her life when she was decapitated at an entrance to Arches National Park in Utah back in June. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. There is a lot of small things I miss.. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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,. 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. Ludovic Michaud, the husband of late human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, has filed a $270 million wrongful death administrative claim against the National Park Service, according to a report by NBC News, following a June accident at Arches National Park near Moab. Chang expects to file the lawsuit in about six months. Lindsay Whitehurst/AP One series reportedly had a weekly audience of 6.3 million viewers. The federal trial began Monday in Utah, where the husband and family of Nakajjigo are seeking $140 million in damages from the U.S. government, arguing in a complaint that the national park was negligent and failed to properly maintain the gate. 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 . Credit: AP FILE - Delicate. Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. In court, Michaud described his relationship with Nakajjigo as the best time of his life., It feels lonely, and thats hard. "We want you to know, on behalf of the United States, this accident and Essie's death was the responsibility of the United States," Nelson told Michaud. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. in the two-plus years since his wife, Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo, was hit and killed by an unsecured gate while the couple was leaving Arches National Park. 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. 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. Courtesy of. None. Esther Nakajjigo was beheaded after the wind whipped a metal gate round cutting into the passenger side of the car, Esther Nakajjigo with her husband Ludovic Michaud, A picture of the gates that led to the young woman's death. A federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. will shell out more than $10 million in damages to the family of Esther Nakajjigo after she was killed in an accident at a Utah national park in. "We respect the judges decision and hope this award will help her loved ones as they continue to heal for this tragedy," added the U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah. Nakajjigo was not sure where she wanted to work whether it was in the U.S., back in Uganda or elsewhere but Michaud was willing to follow her wherever she could continue to make the most impact. 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.. It's really a full-time job," he said. Michaud hopes he and Nakajjigos family can continue her legacy. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. The large monetary damages being sought on behalf of Michaud and Nakajjigos parents are a reflection of the suffering they have gone through plus the loss of Nakajjigos future income and fundraising abilities, Chang said. The United Nations Population Fund awarded her a Woman Achiever Award," the claim states. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. Outside's long reads email newsletter features our strongest writing, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors. Throughout the trial, attorneys debated estimates of Nakajjigos earnings potential. In their legal complaint, Michaud and Nakajjigos parents said the National Park Service was negligent for not maintaining the gate. 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. "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 society's future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates or Oprah Winfrey," read the initial claim from Nakajjigo's husband and family. Nakajjigo, who went by Essie, was a womens rights champion in Uganda. The smaller projection takes into account only the averages of a statistical black woman, she said; while the higher projections factor in that Nakajjigo was a real, extraordinary person. The administrative claim is a legally required precursor to a lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in about six months. Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. Nakajjigo, 25, was a Ugandan human rights activist and moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder. But an attorney for her parents and husband said they were grateful for the judgment, which represents the largest federal wrongful death verdict in Utah history, the Associated Press reported. John Ssenkindu, Esther's brother, told journalists that her sister was hit by a metallic gate of the Arches National Park in the US . Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. By age 25, when she died, she had accomplished more than most people do in an entire lifetime and had much more to do with her life, court documents state. She added that the plaintiffs' assumption that Nakajjigo would have taken a salary "far in excess" of most nonprofit CEOs is "simply contrary to everything the court has heard about her," Berndt said. Elizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News who focuses on health and mental health, particularly issues that affect women and children. / CBS Colorado. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en cliquant sur le lien Tableau de bord sur la vie prive prsent sur nos sites et dans nos applications. Nakajjigo also created a reality television show in Uganda focused on helping teenage mothers stay in school and learn life skills. Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. 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. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with 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.. in the two-plus years since his wife, Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo, was hit and killed by an unsecured gate while the couple was leaving Arches National Park. She was always willing to help, he said. Everything reminds Michaud of Nakajjigo. Nakajjigo was. All rights reserved. When she was 17, she donated her university tuition money to start a private, nonprofit community health center that she named the Princess Diana Health Centre. 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. Ms Nakajjigo worked to improve education and rights for women and teenage girls in her home country of Uganda and advocated to reduce rates of teenage pregnancy. 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. Monday's closing arguments focused heavily on the differences in testimony made by several economic experts, two of whom projected that Nakajjigo would have earned at least $9 million in her lifetime and the third who estimated Nakajjigo would have made between about $750,000 and $938,000. The gruesome nature of Nakajjigo's death and the fact that she was a renowned Ugandan women's rights activist drew widespread attention to the case. IE 11 is not supported. 45 Join Insider . (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. 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. ", 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 off, according to a wrongful death administrative claim obtained by NBC News. Michaud said he and Nakajjigo were two weeks shy of closing on a condo when the accident occurred, with hopes of owning a house down the road. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. 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.. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. Ms Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludo Michaud, 26, were driving out of the scenic parks carpark when wind caught the unlatched gate and the metal pole on top sliced through the side of their rental car and hit Ms Nakajjigo in the head and neck, killing her instantly. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband were visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. Estimated read time: 5-6 Instead, the Utah park became the site of a horrific accident that killed her. The metal gate at Arches National Park, normally secured with a lock, was left untethered. The National Park Service has not commented in relation to the new lawsuit but has previously released a statement expressing sympathy for the young womans death. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. The newly married Michaud and Nakajjigo took a weekend trip to Arches National Park as a welcome break after months of lockdown amid the pandemic, court documents said. Even simple tasks like cooking rice stored in a jar that Nakajjigo bought before her death feel paralyzing, he said. 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. The family of a women's rights activist from Uganda has filed a $270 million administrative claim against the National Park Service after she was killed by an . The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax The same year, Nakajjigo was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. Get Toofab breaking news sent right to your browser! Instead, "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter." Mail that Nakajjigo has continued to receive after her death has been a stark reminder of the life they should still be enjoying together. Updated: Jan 31, 2023 / 03:49 PM MST. The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The wind whipped a metal. The family of Esther Nakajjigo accused the National Park Service of negligence for not properly securing the metal gate that killed her. 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. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax 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. 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. I found her really interesting. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. Nakajjigo had been celebrated for using money earmarked for her college tuition to instead open a nonprofit community health center in Uganda at age 17. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Angeles Times 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement, [] 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 trip to the wind-weathered sandstone of Arches National Park was supposed to be a celebration a chance for Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, to show his new wife one of his favorite landmarks. They said you have to lock it or its going to impale a car, so everyone knows, Chang said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. I didnt know who she was at first, Michaud, 26, told NBC News in his first interview since Nakajjigos death. I really wanted to show her Arches, he told Fox 13. Judge Bruce Jenkins said he wants to "examine with care" all the information presented during the weeklong trial. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the U.S. government must pay her family more than $10 million in damages. The gate had been unsecured for the previous two weeks, despite national park requirements that prohibit gates from swinging, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court. deductible, Report a missed paper by
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[email protected]. In pink tops and white pants, women celebrate free period products becoming available in Utahs state buildings, Proposal to boost Utah bar licenses gets smaller with another round of cuts by lawmakers, Moab, Park City cry foul as Utah lawmakers target rules for vacation homes. Nakajjigo and her husband Ludovic Michaud were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the region's national parks months after their wedding. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, pose at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. Picture: Handout The family of a women's rights activist who was decapitated in an accident on a trip with her new husband has sued the US government agency responsible for the park where she died. They stipulate, however, that the plaintiffs should be awarded $22,508 for Nakajjigo's funeral expenses and $5,000 for Michaud's therapy expenses. The lawsuit was filed about a year after Nakajjigo was killed in June 2020, when wind apparently caused the unsecured, metal gate on the parks main road to swing around and strike her and her husbands car, decapitating her. 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. Nakajjigo was a women's rights champion in her home country of Uganda; she founded a nonprofit community health center using her college tuition money, and created two reality TV shows centered around empowering women. The 25-year-old human rights activist and newlywed wife was killed on June 13, 2020, in Arches National Park. The family says under federal park rules, similar gates should be secured, but the gate that struck Ms Nakajjigo had been unlatched for weeks, Fox 13 reports. He said he didnt deny Nakajjigo was an extraordinary person, but argued it was difficult to speculate what kind of work she would have gone on to do. Additionally, Berndt said the plaintiffs can only speculate on what Nakajjigo might have done had she lived, and the court can't ignore that "in favor of dreams and potential.". At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. Ms Nakajjigo met Mr Michaud after she relocated to the US, where she was awarded the Luff Peace Fellowship by the University of Boulder in Colorado. It claims three other people have died from similar incidents involving gates in the last 32 years. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Nakajjigo married Denver man Ludovic Michaud in March 2020. What if he hadn't suggested the trip. Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated at Arches National Park in Utah after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her car, killing her immediately as her husband sat in the seat next to her. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the. The claim alleged that had park employees used an $8 padlock to secure the gate from moving in the breeze, it could have avoided the victim being "needlessly decapitated.". 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. "On behalf of the family, we are very appreciative of the judge's attention to detail, the time he spent working on this, and for the value he put on the loss to this family of Essie," added Littlepage. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. Recreation areas had recently opened after pandemic-era closures and . Continuing her work brings him hope; he's already started a nonprofit in her name, the Esther Nakajjigo Foundation. 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. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a . Because neither the U.S. nor Nakajjigos family disputed the facts of the case, the civil suit focused largely on the amount of damages merited. The 25-year-old human rights activist and newlywed wife. They had a courthouse ceremony in March, with plans to throw a big wedding in Uganda once it was safe to travel again. Esther Nakajjigo was a prominent Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in Utah's Arches National Park in 2020. Posted at 10:15 PM, Nov 12, 2020 The wind whipped a metal gate round which sliced through the passenger door of the car and decapitated Esther. The women's rights activist from Uganda was 25 when, during a camping trip to Arches National Park in June 2020, she was beheaded by a metal gate that blew closed in strong winds and sliced through the side of the car she was riding in. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) 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. It impaled their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. The family of a womens rights activist who was decapitated in an accident on a trip with her new husband has sued the US government agency responsible for the park where she died.
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