The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. He no longer has a TV in his apartment because the sight of any blood is triggering, he said. Arches accidental beheading trial ends, but verdict is still pending Her dreams were just about to come true, Chang said. Michaud hopes he and Nakajjigos family can continue her legacy. Its still hard to concentrate, but I try to.. Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do, Can't take statins? 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. 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. Esther Nakajjigo was beheaded after the wind whipped a metal gate round cutting into the passenger side of the car, Esther Nakajjigo with her husband Ludovic Michaud, A picture of the gates that led to the young woman's death. 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.. All rights reserved. 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.". You wouldnt able to detect it or see it.. Get Toofab breaking news sent right to your browser! Family of Woman Killed at Arches National Park Awarded $10.5M Esther Nakajjigo was a prominent Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in Utah's Arches National Park in 2020. Michaud was the last plaintiff witness in the civil trial over the June 13, 2020, death of his wife, Esther Nakajjigo. Something went wrong, please try again later. Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo's husband and parents initially filed a $270 million claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death 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. Nakajjigo also created a reality television show in Uganda focused on helping teenage mothers stay in school and learn life skills. 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. The gate had been unsecured for the previous two weeks, despite national park requirements that prohibit gates from swinging, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court. 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. They had a courthouse ceremony in March, with plans to throw a big wedding in Uganda once it was safe to travel again. Nelson, the governments attorney, has said an appropriate award would be $3.5million (2.9m). Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigos family, on Monday asked the family to leave when he described the death in gruesome detail. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud visited the park in mid June. Esther Nakajjigo lost her life when she was decapitated at an entrance to Arches National Park in Utah back in June. 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. 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. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Fox13 reports the metal. Sign up today. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a . The 25-year-old human rights activist and newlywed wife. The gate had been left unlatched against federal policy for two weeks prior to the tragic accident in June 2020. I felt completely meaningless after losing Nakajjigo, he said. Donate to the newsroom now. 72 Join Insider . A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. The. The family of a womens rights activist who was decapitated in an accident on a trip with her new husband has sued the US government agency responsible for the park where she died. 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. Continuing her work brings him hope; he's already started a nonprofit in her name, the Esther Nakajjigo Foundation. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's. 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. Picture: Handout The family of a women's rights activist who was decapitated in an accident on a trip with her new husband has sued the US government agency responsible for the park where she died. 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 . One time it was the delivery of her Social Security card; another time, an update on her immigration status. 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. She was always willing to help, he said. "We want you to know, on behalf of the United States, this accident and Essie's death was the responsibility of the United States," Nelson told Michaud. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. 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. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death 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.. Family of activist decapitated by swinging gate at Utah park is awarded "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 She was particularly passionate about reducing teenage pregnancy and created two reality television shows that empowered women. Nakajjigo worked on fundraising to open a hospital in an underserved part of Kampala, Ugandas capital, became a philanthropic celebrity and immigrated to the United States for a fellowship at the Boulder, Colorado-based Watson Institute for emerging leaders. 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.. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Theres a newsletter that went out to all the parks and the National Park Service that warned of this decades ago. The ongoing trial will largely focus on determining the damages that may go to her family and Michaud. 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. National Park Service faces $270M wrongful death claim - USA TODAY Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan activist who'd moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder, died June 13, 2020, while visiting the park with her husband of two On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "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. Twist after newlywed decapitated by gate at national park - Yahoo! 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. Michaud said he and Nakajjigo were two weeks shy of closing on a condo when the accident occurred, with hopes of owning a house down the road. 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. 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 family of a women's rights activist from Uganda has filed a $270 million administrative claim against the National Park Service after she was killed by an . 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 . Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her . Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. 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. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations. 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 lawsuit filed by Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, claims his wife Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while in the passenger seat of a car exiting Arches National Park. The metal gate at Arches National Park, normally secured with a lock, was left untethered. 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. Itd be like me pointing a piece of paper to you on its most narrow side. They stipulate, however, that the plaintiffs should be awarded $22,508 for Nakajjigo's funeral expenses and $5,000 for Michaud's therapy expenses. Mr Michaud and Ms Nakajjigos family have filed a lawsuit in a US court accusing the National Park Service of negligence, Fox 13 reports. Her husband, Michaud, is seeking $240 million in damages from the National Park Service, while Nakajjigo's family is seeking $30 million. FILE Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. She was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. We hope that, in some way, the conclusion of this trial will help with your moving forward.". None. Denver newlyweds' trip to Arches National Park ends with wife's What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. Activist Esther Nakajjigo's family beg Ugandan government to return It claims three other people have died from similar incidents involving gates in the last 32 years. Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her car, killing her immediately as her husband sat in the seat next to her. The gruesome nature of Nakajjigo's death and the fact that she was a renowned Ugandan women's rights activist drew widespread attention to the case. 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. 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. 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Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5 million for Utah death - Los Angeles Times Nakajjigos remains were flown back to Uganda in August. 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. 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 United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent . This is not the first time a tragedy like this has happened. The gate reportedly smashed through the side of the car and struck Nakajjigo . US attorneys have said this claim was too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. 2023 EHM Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. 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,. 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. It's really a full-time job," he said. Testimony ends in trial of Ugandan woman decapitated in Arches National Newlywed woman decapitated by car park entrance gate blown open in high Lindsay Whitehurst/AP 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. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Chang expects to file the lawsuit in about six months. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Her mother flew to Utah from Uganda to attend the trial this week. Nakajjigo was killed instantly. 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. . 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. Instead, "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter." The amount was far less than the $140 million Nakajjigos family originally sought. I found her really interesting. We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. In his judgement, Jenkins said the government had provided a more reasonable projection of Nakajjigos earnings potential. The United Nations Population Fund awarded her a Woman Achiever Award," the claim states. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Family of Ugandan philanthropist decapitated by traffic gate in Arches What if he hadn't suggested the trip. 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 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. Ludovic Michaud, the husband of late human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, has filed a $270 million wrongful death administrative claim against the National Park Service, according to a report by NBC News, following a June accident at Arches National Park near Moab.
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