Instead, the Utah park became the site of a horrific accident that killed her. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. In his ten-page verdict, U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins said the government admitted fault and apologized for Nakajjigos death. The administrative claim is a legally required precursor to a lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in about six months. "I'll respond as soon as I'm able," Jenkins said. Mail that Nakajjigo has continued to receive after her death has been a stark reminder of the life they should still be enjoying together. 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. The Associated Press 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. Nakajjigos remains were flown back to Uganda in August. 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One of his regrets is not saying, "I love you," one more time. Even simple tasks like cooking rice stored in a jar that Nakajjigo bought before her death feel paralyzing, he said. "You bear no responsibility. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death 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. The family of a Ugandan young girl child activist, Esther Nakajjigo who died in the United States of America (USA) have asked government to help them repatriate her body, to be accorded a decent burial. 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 was killed at Arches National Park in 2020. New pill cuts cholesterol, heart attacks, Suspect in Dylan Rounds disappearance charged with murder. The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. Newlywed woman decapitated by car park entrance gate blown open in high Family sues after newlywed is killed by gate at Arches park The family of a womens rights activist who was killed in a gruesome accident at a national park is suing a US agency over her tragic death. One, Saving Innocence, depicted teenage girls from urban areas helping teen moms in rural communities go back to school. 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,. 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. Instead, "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter." Denver newlyweds' trip to Arches National Park ends with wife's Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together.. 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. He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. Activist Esther Nakajjigo's family beg Ugandan government to return Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. McGinn argued that the smaller projections were based on categories of evaluation not allowed for under Utah law. Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her . Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. Accident claims Ugandan activist Nakajjigo in US - New Vision 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. Photo: Esther Nakajjigo/Twitter. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death She met Ludovic Michaud in Boulder, Colorado, when she went there for a leadership accelerator program in 2019, and the two of them married in March 2020. Esther Nakajjigo lost her life when she was decapitated at an entrance to Arches National Park in Utah back in June. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. Nakajjigo's family sued the government for the largest federal award ever asked for in both state and national history, according to plaintiffs' attorney Randi McGinn, seeking $140 million in damages. Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M - CBS News 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. Esther Nakajjigo was born in poverty in Kampala, Uganda, and rose to become a celebrated human rights activist through her work focusing on preventing teen pregnancy. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death The suit was filed last. 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. In court, Michaud described his relationship with Nakajjigo as the best time of his life., It feels lonely, and thats hard. 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. It feels lonely, and thats hard. 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. She was named as Ugandas ambassador for women and girls and received an award from the United Nations after she used her university tuition money to start a non-profit community centre that offered free healthcare to girls and women aged 10 to 24. Drenched in his wifes blood, Michaud instinctively jumped out of the slowly moving car after impact, then got back in to put it in park. 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 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 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. Credit: AP FILE - Delicate. On June 13, 2020, Nakajjigo, who was riding in the passenger seat as her husband drove them out of the park, was suddenly decapitated when the triangular, metal gate swung around and sliced into their rental car. Jenkins awarded Michaud $9.5 million; Nakajjigos mother, Christine Namagembe, $700,000; and her father, John Bosco Kateregga, $350,000. 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. . 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. IE 11 is not supported. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Esther Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, pose at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. The claim she served is legally required before a lawsuit can be filed in court. Nakajjigo created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. US attorneys have said this claim was too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. Michaud was not injured in the accident, but he was covered head-to-toe in his wifes blood. 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. The closing arguments came after five days of trial that included testimony from Nakajjigo's family, friends and mentors, as well as from bystanders who witnessed the accident. Donate to the newsroom now. ", 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. $140M trial begins over death of Ugandan woman killed in Utah park 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. Nakajjigo was. Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo's husband and parents initially filed a $270 million claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death The claim, served Oct. 22, is seeking more than $270 million in damages from the National Park Service. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement . The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations. 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. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. The wind whipped a metal. He no longer has a TV in his apartment because the sight of any blood is triggering, he said. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud visited the park in mid June. 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 . Family awarded $10.5M in Utah park death | Las Vegas Review-Journal 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. 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. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. 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.. "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. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didnt have a Bachelors degree. 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. Family of Woman Killed at Arches National Park Awarded $10.5M