DENVER (CBS4) - 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. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Legal Reader is devoted to protecting consumers. 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. The most famous arch is the Delicate Arch which Is in Archs National Park. (AP Photo/Lindsay Whitehurst, File). 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. Music, radio and podcasts, all free. 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. / CBS Colorado. She'd come to Colorado to learn how to bolster her business acumen at the Watson Institute in Boulder. 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. In the courts ruling, Judge Jenkins awarded $9.5 million to Nakajjigos husband, $700,000 to her mother, and $350,000 to her father. 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. WebEsther Nakajjigo was killed at Utahs Arches National Park when a metal pipe from a swinging gate decapitated her. WebThis incident happened June 13 just before 2 p.m. as the couple were leaving the park, according to the claim. Both of Nakijjijo's parents, who listed their addresses as Kamapala, Uganda, have also filed wrongful death claims. 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. 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. 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. WebUSA TODAY 0:00 0:49 Two people died Friday while hiking in Arches National Park in Utah. 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 FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. WebEsther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. Nakajjigo, adds CBS, had grown up in poverty. Michaud's filing clears the path for a full lawsuit, which is expected to be served within the coming months. NBC reported that he was flown to Moab Regional Hospital. 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. While the Nakajjigo family had initially sought more in compensatory damages, their attorneys celebrated the judgment, saying that it isby farthe largest federal wrongful death verdict in Utah history. 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 Credit: Handout. just as COVID-19 was starting to make U.S. headlines, Do not sell or share my personal information. Attorneys representing the victims family asked the court to award an estimated $140 million, whereas the U.S. government argued that $3.5 million would be more appropriate and comparable to similar awards in similar claims. Deborah Chang, the Los Angeles-based attorney representing Michaud, claimed there was nothing he could do to swerve out of the way of the gate that killed his wife and missed him by a hair. "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. They were married in March 2020 and headed to Arches on a belated honeymoon as soon as the park reopened from its coronavirus shutdown. 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. 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. Then the car carrying him and his wife stopped. 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Chief Ranger Scott Brown said a 65-year-old man and 60-year-old woman died after falling The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was on a trip to the Utah park with her husband of three months when the gate swung across the road and struck their car on June 13, 2020. Please enter valid email address to continue. Traffic may back up between the entrance station and US 191. As they entered, high winds blew the park entrance gate a swinging pole back across the highway. She married Michaud in March, just as COVID-19 was starting to make U.S. headlines. Arches National Park is best known for its pristine sandstone arches and its massive red Delicate Arch, which has featured in countless Instagram photos.. On October 22, Michaud filed a wrongful death claim against 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. The claim says the gate was left open and unrestrained, causing major damage to the hood and the front passenger fender, door and window. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. ", "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. Example video title will go here for this video. I'm still struggling with that," Michaud said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. She was decapitated. Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were on vacation in eastern Utah, visiting national parks across the region several months after their wedding. Instead, the familys civil lawsuit largely focused on the amount of damages merited. Passionate about international politics and world affairs, hes an avid traveler with a keen interest in the connections between South Asia and the United States. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 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. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. Fox News Flash top headlines for December 6. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. She was living in Boulder, Colorado, and attending the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators, when she met Michaud. Arches National Park, notes CBS News, had just re-opened recreation following a decrease in coronavirus cases. Arches National Park is best known for its pristine sandstone arches and its massive red Delicate Arch, which has featured in countless Instagram photos. 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 claim argues that an $8 padlock or proper maintenance would have prevented the death. "The woman I loved and I saw her for just her.". Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution," the tweet said. Several dozen per day. Nakajjigo moved to Boulder, Colorado when she was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute and began a social entrepreneurship program in 2019. Michauds attorneys also said the federal government was aware of the dangers, citing a 1980 accident in which a man was impaled by an unsecured gate as he rode in the back of a pickup in Californias Stanislaus National Forest. 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. At 17, She was named an Ambassador for Uganda's Women girls by nonprofit organization IREX. Newlywed killed by swinging gate at Arches, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Bay Area weather: After thunderstorms and hail, snow could be on the way this weekend, Newlywed killed by swinging gate at Arches National Park, 1 killed when business jet encounters severe turbulence, Bay Area honeymooners say snorkel boat abandoned them off Maui coast, At least 26 killed in fiery train crash in Greece, If it was your child, when would you give up? Mother searches for 5-year-old son swept away in January floods, Online fundraiser emerges for Brentwood father who died while kayaking. Image via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr/user: Brian Turner. Park staff told investigators that the gates own weight usually kept it in place, according to a report from the Grand County sheriffs office. She was best known for a reality show in Uganda that reached millions of viewers. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Elon Musk Wins Funding Secured Shareholder Lawsuit, Blog vs YouTube Over Other Websites: How to Choose, Behind the Story of Ghostbed vs. Purple Mattress Lawsuit, Investigation Reveals Goodyears Dunlop D402 Tires Have Caused Dozens of Motorcycle Accidents, Amputees Third Attempt at Holding Medical Personnel Responsible Pays Off. WebVideo 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 The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. She's done more at the age of 25 than most people do in their entire lives," she said. On October 22, Michaud filed a wrongful death claim against the US National Parks Service seeking $270million in damages. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. Market data provided by Factset. 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. Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. Michaud is asking for more than $220 million in damages for wrongful death, and $20 million in damages for personal injury. 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..