esther nakajjigo accident scene photos

While much less than they were initially seeking, the family was clearly pleased with the results -- with attorney Zoe Littlepage calling the amount "the largest verdict from a federal judge in Utah history.". The wind whipped a metal gate round which sliced through the passenger door of the car and decapitated Esther. The last thing she said to him was, "Babe, I had the best time of my life." As recreation areas in eastern Utah reopened that summer, Michaud was excited to take his new wife to Arches National Park, and the two drove there in June. They had a courthouse ceremony in March, with plans to throw a big wedding in Uganda once it was safe to travel again. She met Michaud on Tinder in 2019, when she was attending a leadership program in Boulder, Colorado. Ms McGinn described Nakajjigo as a prominent womens rights activist who rose from poverty to become the host of a solutions-oriented reality television series in Uganda focused on empowering women around issues such as education and healthcare. Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it.. National parks begin to reopen across the country. Berndt said her team in no way believes Nakajjigo was an average person, and that using reliable data to estimate her lost earnings isn't a value judgment of Nakajjigo. Having received numerous international accolades and awards, Nakajjigo came to the United States to further her education, where she met Michaud a video streaming technology solution architect via a dating app. 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. Nakajjigo, who went by Essie, was a womens rights champion in Uganda. 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.. Continuing her work brings him hope; he's already started a nonprofit in her name, the Esther Nakajjigo Foundation. As the couple was leaving the park, gusts of wind swung the gate around rapidly, enough to slice through the passenger side door of the couples car, decapitating Nakajjigo as her husband sat feet away in the drivers seat. 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.". 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 . As they were leaving the park on June 13, 2020, heavy winds apparently blew the metal entrance gate into the passenger side of the vehicle, striking and killing Nakajjigo. 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 On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the. 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 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. By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's. Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo's husband and parents initially filed a $270 million claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death The ruling was. 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,. The gate reportedly smashed through the side of the car and struck Nakajjigo . 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.. SALT LAKE CITY The family of human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, who was decapitated in an accident in Arches National Park, has sued the National Park Service. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. Nakajigos family and Michaud are suing the U.S. government for negligence as well as negligent infliction of emotional distress on the part of Michaud, who had to witness the grisly scene. Outside's long reads email newsletter features our strongest writing, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors. According to a court filing, the National Park Service and Arches National Park created a lethal and undetectable danger with the gate, which turned a metal pipe into a spear that went straight through the side of a car, decapitating and killing Esther Nakajjigo.. 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. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. ", 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. Instead, "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter." Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together.. All rights reserved. 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. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. It's really a full-time job," he said. Nakajjigo was killed instantly. 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. Nakajjigo married Denver man Ludovic Michaud in March 2020. "I'm doing whatever I can to get better. 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. Mail that Nakajjigo has continued to receive after her death has been a stark reminder of the life they should still be enjoying together. Nothing we can say makes up for your loss. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. Her dreams were just about to come true, Chang said. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a . The trial began in December and in court, per the AP, family attorney Randi McGinn reportedly argued Nakajjigo could have eventually brought in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, annually had she survived. 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. Esther Nakajjigo was a Ugandan human rights activist and newlywed wife when the 25-year-old was killed at Arches National Park in 2020, decapitated by an unsecured gate that is now at the center of a wrongful death trial. 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. 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. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The gate had been left unlatched against federal policy for two weeks prior to the tragic accident in June 2020. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. The United Nations Population Fund awarded her a Woman Achiever Award," the claim states. In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. One series reportedly had a weekly audience of 6.3 million viewers. Donate to the newsroom now. The familys lawsuit claims when the national parks reopened in April 2020 after being shuttered due to Covid-19, rangers at the national park in Utah didnt 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. 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 gate narrowly avoided Michaud, who was left covered head to toe in his wife's blood. Opening arguments began Monday in Salt Lake City in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of a 25-year-old women's rights activist from Uganda who was killed by a wind-blown gate during a camping trip to Arches National Park in June 2020. 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.. Just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., Michaud, a video streaming technology solution architect who is originally from France, and Nakajjigo decided they wanted to marry. Chang expects to file the lawsuit in about six months. The family of Esther Nakajjigo accused the National Park Service of negligence for not properly securing the metal gate that killed her. It impaled their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. 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. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didnt have a Bachelors degree. SALT LAKE CITY Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud has tortured himself with a lot of "what ifs?" You wouldnt able to detect it or see it, she told Fox 13. Yet park employees could have done a lot, the claim alleges, including taking note during inspections of the gate that it posed a danger and putting an inexpensive padlock on it. All this building towards the $140million in damages. . 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. What if they had gone on a different day, or left at a different time? 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.". They wed in a courthouse ceremony in March 2020, three months before her death, and had plans to have a big ceremony in Uganda when it was safe to travel again. 72 Join Insider . A cruise employee has had his contract terminated after he was allegedly seen filming women from a female bathroom. The claim she served is legally required before a lawsuit can be filed in court. 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 were driving toward the exit when suddenly a gust of wind lifted a metal gate and the arm swung into the roadway. One time it was the delivery of her Social Security card; another time, an update on her immigration status. 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. The family had initially sought a total of $270 million in damages, before lowering the amount to $140 -- while the government only wanted to pay $3.5 million. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigos parents asked for $140 million in damages, while the government said an appropriate award would be roughly $3.5 million. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement . 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. Courtesy Ludovic Michaud Nakajjigo. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Angeles Times "The National Park Service has, in fact, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous condition," the claim states, as reported by CBS Denver.. $270 MILLION LAWSUIT Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. 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 . But U.S. Attorney Amanda Berndt said while there's no question that the plaintiffs are entitled to a reward, a proper calculation of Nakajjigo's lost earnings must include the possibility that she might have left the workforce at some point for a variety of reasons. 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.. Ludovic 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 passenger door of. / CBS Colorado. Her husband, Michaud, is seeking $240 million in damages from the National Park Service, while Nakajjigo's family is seeking $30 million. Disputing the family's claims the victim was on track to become the CEO of a non-profit who could eventually have netted an annual income in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. Later, his chin trembled as Nelson delivered the government's apology. She was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. minutes. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. 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. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent . FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigos family, on Monday asked the family to leave when he described the death in gruesome detail. Esther Nakajjigo lost her life when she was decapitated at an entrance to Arches National Park in Utah back in June. 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. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. The family of a human rights activist killed in a freak accident at Utah's Arches State Park won $10.5 million in damages from the U.S. government. 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, 25, was on a trip to the Utah park with her . The French national said he and his wife, who had only been married for three months and lived in Denver, Colorado, had been on a hike and had lunch before driving out of the park. 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.

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