On June 13, she was needlessly decapitated by a metal gate that swung into the couples car as they were exiting the Arches parking lot on their way to go get ice cream, according to a wrongful death administrative claim exclusively obtained by NBC News. Michaud was not injured in the accident, but he was covered head-to-toe in his wifes blood. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. She was very strong personality, really funny, really smart, said Ludovic Michaud, Essie Nakajjigos husband. Illinois highway pile-up causes multiple deaths, police say, Trump motion to declare mistrial in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit denied, Transgender Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr sues over censure, Debt ceiling standoff heats up over veterans' programs, U.S. tracking high-altitude balloon first spotted off Hawaii, Biden administration ending vaccine mandate for federal workers, travelers, The weirdest items passengers leave behind in Ubers. National parks begin to reopen across the country. There is a lot of small things I miss.. 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. Because neither the U.S. nor Nakajjigo's family disputed the facts of the case, the civil suit focused largely on the amount of damages merited. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. DENVER (CBS4) - The family of a Denver woman has filed a $270 million wrongful death claim against Arches National Park after she was killed there over the summer. Nakajjigo created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. It feels lonely, and thats hard. 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. Esther Nakajjigo Of Denver Decapitated By Gate :Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park [VIDEO] Trying To Figure Out How To Move Forward': Widower Of Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate At Arches National Park Struggles After Trauma In other words, he added, theres no liability for ordinary negligence. I found her really interesting. I didnt know who she was at first, the 26-year-old expressed to NBC News. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement, saying it was the largest federal wrongful death verdict in Utah history. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Chang filed the paperwork notifying the National Park Service that a lawsuit will be filed in U.S. District Court in Denver, seeking damages for Ludovic, and for Nakajjigo's mother and father. 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. 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. In his ten-page verdict, U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins said the government admitted fault and apologized for Nakajjigos death. 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. Esther Nakajjigo, age 25, of Denver, Colorado passed away on Saturday June 13, 2020. IE 11 is not supported. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. Nakajjigo worked on fundraising to open a hospital in an underserved part of Kampala, Uganda's capital, became a philanthropic celebrity and immigrated to the United States for a fellowship at the Boulder, Colorado-based Watson Institute for emerging leaders. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didn't have a Bachelor's degree. 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. Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. The wind whipped a metal. 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. 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. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on a windy summer day in 2020 when a piece of a metal gate from Utah's Arches National Park broke through the passenger door and decapitated her - and now her husband. 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. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. We loved getting out and going to beautiful places, Michaud said. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. What happens to First Republic Bank's stock and deposits now? We asked the Park Service about the swing gates and were told that both sides are now padlocked when in the "open" position. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. 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. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgment, saying it was the largest federal wrongful death verdict in Utah history. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. Jenkins awarded Michaud $9.5 million; Nakajjigos mother, Christine Namagembe, $700,000; and her father, John Bosco Kateregga, $350,000. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Her husband was not harmed, the station added. He filed his claim October 22. The ruling was. Gate accidents similar to Nakajjigos have happened across the country, according to NBC News. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. Heading out the door? Jenkins awarded Michaud $9.5 million; Nakajjigo's mother, Christine Namagembe, $700,000; and her father, John Bosco Kateregga, $350,000. Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! "For the sake of a padlock and chain, that you have in your garage that is all that would have made a difference in his world," Chang said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The young activist participated in programs at Drexel University in Philadelphia as a Mandela Washington Fellow and at the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado as a Luff Peace Fellow, Moab Sun News said. 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. "I don't want anyone or any other family to go through what we've been through," Michaud told CBS affiliate KUTV. The claim she served is legally required before a lawsuit can be filed in court. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. The complaint also describes how Michaud had to witness the grisly scene. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations. Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. At 17 years old, Nakajjigo used her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center, NBC News reported. He didnt know Nakajjigo had a massive following in her native Uganda. The organization was tailored toward reducing the risk of teenage pregnancy among teens. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations, CBS Colorado reported. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the Salt Lake Tribune. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. Her dreams were just about to come true, Chang said. #EDD #sheiswe pic.twitter.com/VUD1jd7U7H, Esther Nakajjigo (@nakajjigo) June 7, 2018. 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 US National Parks Service seeking . It could have happened to anyone and if nothing is done, its going to happen again, he said. She received multiple honors for her humanitarian work and was attending a leadership program in Bolder, Colorado, at the time of her death. 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. Sign up for service and obituary updates. Esther Nakajjigo. Nakajjigo accomplished more by age 25 than most people do in a lifetime. The family is hoping to use money from the case to continue Essies projects. Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. At this time, I do not have more information to share.". Nakajjigo, 25, was a Ugandan human rights activist and moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder. The couple hiked to Delicate Arch and ate lunch in the Windows area before starting their drive out of the park. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. She was also awarded a full scholarship from the king of Buganda. Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together.. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. 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. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Utah's Arches National Park when a metal pipe from a swinging gate decapitated her. No services are scheduled at this time. 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. Nakajjigo, who was 25 at the time, was needlessly decapitated, according to a wrongful death administrative claim obtained by NBC News. But rather a sex object, a cola to quench sexual thirst of sex-hungry men who have power and control in the refugee settlements. 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.. Nakajjigo and her husband Ludovic Michaud were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the region's national parks months after their wedding. The same year, Nakajjigo was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. It impaled their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. In court, Michaud described his relationship with Nakajjigo as the best time of his life., It feels lonely, and thats hard. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. FOX 13 reported earlier this year how Nakajjigo died June 13, 2020, after wind caught a traffic control gate and blew it into the rented Chevy Malibu driven by her husband, Ludo Michaud. 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. The United States will pay family members of Esther Nakajjigo, a Ugandan human rights activist killed in an accident at Arches National Park more than $10 million in damages, a federal judge ruled . I really wanted to show her Arches, he said, because I know all the parks around Moab It's one of my favorite places in the U.S., if not my favorite place.. 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. The Uganda native met Michaud in June 2019 through a dating app in Aurora, Colorado, according to NBC News. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. Nakajjigo, who was 25 at the time, was "needlessly decapitated," according to a wrongful death administrative claim obtained by NBC News. She said there was nothing that visually set them apart. Here's how. The horror of Nakajjigo's death is one reason Michaud has filed a claim with the National Park Service seeking $270 million. Everything reminds Michaud of Nakajjigo. Upon leaving, an unsecured metal gate swung into the road, killing Nakajjigo who was sitting in the passenger seat. "I turned my head and saw what I wish I didn't see.". They argued that had employees installed the gate properly and secured it with an $8 padlock, Nakajjigos death could have been prevented, This decision serves as a reminder of the importance of proper maintenance and safety measures in our national parks, so as to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, Michaud said in, on Monday. The claim, served Oct. 22, is seeking more than $270 million in damages from the National Park Service. Esther Nakajjigo, age 25, of Denver, Colorado passed away on Saturday June 13, 2020. 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.