Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. Listen online or download the iHeart App. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The newlyweds were driving during a camping trip on June 13, when a strong gust of wind blew an unsecured metal gate that sliced through the side of their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. GRAND COUNTY, Utah A 27-year-old Denver man filed a wrongful death claim against the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) on Oct. 22 after it says his wife was decapitated by a vehicle gate at Arches National Park in Grand County, Utah. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Family photo. The Grand County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! "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. 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. A video of the crash shows Michaud was driving and Nakajjigo was She moved to Boulder, Colorado, to attend the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators. ", First published on November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM. The National parks Service didn't respond to a request for comment on the claim from The Sun. "I had a ton of flashbacks. Ludovic Michaud and Essie Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud), Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. More Videos Next up in 5 Legal Statement. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Traffic may back up between the entrance station and US 191. A gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung across the roadway. 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. According to the family's claim, three other people have died from similar accidents with unsecured gates over the past 32 years. Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. Legal Statement. 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, Family sues after newlywed is 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. McGinn said if her life hadn't been cut short that Nakajjigo's trajectory suggested she would have gone on to become a non-profit CEO who could eventually have netted an annual income in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions. Opening statements previewed how the trial will hinge less on varying accounts of the accident and instead focus on Nakajiigo's biography and earning potential, which is used to calculate a portion of the damages. Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo She'd come to Colorado to learn how to bolster her business acumen at the Watson Institute in Boulder. Michaud, who lived with his Ugandan wife in Denver, Colorado, wasn't injured in the accident, but he told the news station he was completely covered in his wife's blood. November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM "Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again," Michaud said. RELATED: Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. Please enter valid email address to continue. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The webcams below provide views from either end of the Arches National Park entrance road. "I'm still trying to figure out how to move forward, how to wake up in the morning. Park staff told investigators the gate was usually left unsecured, and that typically the gates own weight kept it in place, so it was not locked in place by any other means. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. He didn't know Nakajjigo had a massive following in her native Uganda. 7 CHILDREN INJURED IN NEW YORK BUS CRASH THAT DAMAGED HOME, The family's lawsuit claims when the national parks reopened in April 2020 after being shuttered due to COVID-19, rangers at the national park in Utah didn't 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.". In opening statements Monday in Salt Lake City, attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigo's family said they were seeking $140 million in damages from the government. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Ryan studied neuroscience and has spent the last several years working as an operations manager in transportation logistics. After requesting that the family leave the courtroom, she recounted the moment Michaud realized his wife had been killed, when he inhaled the copper-tinged smell of blood, turned to figure out what it was and saw she was dead. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. WebWhen I went to Arches National Park in 2021, I got turned around at the gate. 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. After COVID-19 closures were lifted, the newlyweds took a trip to Arches National Park. 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. Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo Michaud, 27, were driving out of the park during a camping trip on June 13 when strong winds blew the metal gate into the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter, according to the administrative claim, which was filed in October. "The woman I loved and I saw her for just her.". Fox News Flash top headlines for December 6. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? All rights reserved. Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. WebThe photo in this video of the arch is Corona Arch and I dont its in Archs national park. 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. 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. 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. Park staff told investigators that the gates own weight usually kept it in place, according to a report from the Grand County sheriffs office. 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. ", "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. The Provided by Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. WebWidower Struggles With Loss After Wife Decapitated By Gate In Arches National Park 1,777,542 views Nov 12, 2020 30K Dislike Save CBS Colorado 98.1K subscribers In the fatal incident, a gust of wind apparently dislodged it and sent it smashing into the passenger side of the couples rented car. Its near it but not there. By Thomas Peipert, Associated Press The family of a womens rights activist from Uganda has filed a more than $270 million wrongful death and personal injury claim against the National Park Service after she was decapitated by an unsecured gate at Utahs Arches National Park. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. At 17, She was named an Ambassador for Uganda's Women girls by nonprofit organization IREX. 2 injured, including officer, in Aurora crash, 2 hurt, including officer, in rollover crash, Documentary featuring local family coping with loss after suicide aims to open up conversations, 77 inches of snow fall at Colorado ski area in 9 days, Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Drexel University, Luff Peace Fellowship at Watson Institute, Search of Aurora house in case of missing teen Lashaya Stine continues, Head brewer at Denver Beer Co. dies in climbing accident. "She was very strong personality, really funny, really smart," said Ludovic Michaud, Essie Nakajjigo's husband. 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. Michaud, of Denver, is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. Several dozen per day. The family of a womens rights activist from Uganda has filed a more than $270 million wrongful death and personal injury claim against the National Park Service after she was decapitated by an unsecured gate at Utahs Arches National Park. 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. "She's got quite a few projects started, and we need to make sure those projects survive after A lot of people just want to continue that because that's what she would have wanted from us.". "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good.". WebDENVER The family of a Denver woman, who was killed when the entrance gate at Arches National Park swung into the passenger compartment of a rental car and decapitated her, The family is hoping to use money from the case to continue Essie's projects. 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. In 2018, she participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Drexel University, and she was also the recipient of the 2018 Luff Peace Fellowship at Watson Institute. While growing up in Uganda, Nakajjigo used her college tuition funds to open up a nonprofit community education center in her home country. 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. 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. She married Michaud in March, just as COVID-19 was starting to make U.S. headlines. WebHikers walk beside the Delicate Arch at sunset in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah on April 21, 2018. 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 through the side of their car like a hot knife through butter, according to the administrative claim, which was filed in October. Nakajjigo and Michaud, a French-born tech solutions architect, met on a dating app last year and tied the knot at a courthouse ceremony in March. The pair married in March of this year. WebThe 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. ", "What he saw and experienced that day, I cannot even imagine," said Deborah Chang, an attorney representing Michaud and the Nakajjigo family. Michaud's claim alleges that if the gate had been properly installed or an $8 padlock had been placed to secure it from swinging, the world wouldn't have lost "a young woman influencer destined to become our society's future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates, or Oprah Winfrey. The claim argues that an $8 padlock or proper maintenance would have prevented the death. The family of a womens rights activist from Uganda has filed a more than $270 million wrongful death and personal injury claim against the National Park Service after she was decapitated by an unsecured gate at Utahs Arches National Park. On October 22, Michaud filed a wrongful death claim against the US National Parks Service seeking $270million in damages. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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, attorney Randi McGinn said in a statement announcing the award. 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. Instead, the familys civil lawsuit largely focused on the amount of damages merited. Shelly Bradbury is a breaking news reporter who joined The Denver Post in November 2019. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I think thats what they meant to show but I could be wrong A newlywed couples road trip to Arches National Park in Utah ended in tragedy when a metal gate at the park exit swung across the road and decapitated the 25-year-old woman as she rode in a car. WebHuman rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on June 13, 2020, when a traffic control gate blew into her rental car at Arches National Park in the US state of Utah.
arches national park gate death video