Listen online or download the iHeart App. 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. "We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. Her family is filing a $270 million wrongful death claim against the park, saying her death was preventable. WebEsther Essie Nakajjigo was 25 years old when an unsecured gate inside Arches National Park swung open and impaled the vehicle she was a passenger in, killing her. 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. He didn't know Nakajjigo had a massive following in her native Uganda. Michauds attorneys also said the federal government was aware of the dangers, citing a 1980 accident in which a man was impaled by an unsecured gate as he rode in the back of a pickup in Californias Stanislaus National Forest. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A gavel. 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. 2 min read June 17, 2021 - 6:27AM Esther Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on June 13, 2020 when she, along with her new husband Ludovic Michaud, visited Utah. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June from its coronavirus shutdown. 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. Activist, 25, hailed as future Oprah or Princess Diana is We loved getting out and going to beautiful places," Michaud said. Read more about Traffic and Travel Tips. death Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Denver man files claim after wife decapitated by Utah park gate The Denver man files suit after wife's death at National Park - KMGH All rights reserved. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Market data provided by Factset. Music, radio and podcasts, all free. The National Park Service did not respond to an email seeking comment, and the media relations voicemail inbox was full and could not accept messages. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. WebIn 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 If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution," the tweet said. WebThey said claims by the family's lawyers that Nakajjigo, who was 25 at the time of her death, was on track to be a nonprofit CEO shortly were too speculative to be used as a basis for The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state our community can better understand itself. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Shelly Bradbury is a breaking news reporter who joined The Denver Post in November 2019. Michaud says he wants to keep her legacy going, but he also wants the gates at National Parks and forests across the U.S. to be safe for visitors. (AP Photo/Lindsay Whitehurst, File). FOX 13 Investigates: Grisly decapitation of ambassador at Arches 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. Then the car carrying him and his wife stopped. United States attorneys do not dispute that park officials shouldered blame, but argued the amount the family should be awarded is far less and called into questions the ways in which the damages being sought were calculated. It's likely the first step in a lengthy federal lawsuit. "I don't know how I could stand to see another thing like that happen, and I just want to make sure we do whatever we can to avoid, to save another life. Twist after newlywed decapitated by gate at national park - Yahoo! He is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. RELATED: Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. Michaud, of Denver, is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. Employees knew or should have known that winds strong enough to carve stone are certainly strong enough to blow an unrestrained metal pipe gate into the path of an oncoming vehicle, wrote Chang, who plans to file a formal lawsuit if the claim is rejected.. NPS faces wrongful death claim after newlywed decapitated by Family sues after newlywed is killed by gate at Arches park However, she eventually became the host of a solutions-oriented reality television series in Uganda, which emphasized womens empowerment, educational attainment, and equitable access to health care. Trial begins for woman decapitated at Arches National Park Esther "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good.". 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. Chang said she plans to file a formal lawsuit if the claim is rejected. At 17, She was named an Ambassador for Uganda's Women girls by nonprofit organization IREX. No An official form of the United States government. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who is originally from Paris but now lives in Denver. The National Park Service and Arches National Park are accused of not securing the gate, which was installed to swing in the wrong direction and was being held open by a flimsy metal tab that was worn down and rounded, according to the claim. She was also named Uganda's Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony; just a few of her numerous humanitarian awards. DENVER (AP) 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. Several dozen per day. 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 claim also argues that NPS regularly uses gates constructed "out of metal pipes with spear-like sharp ends," and that Arches National Park had "a set of these metal pipe gates with lance-like sharp ends at the entrance/exit of the park. Last month, Nakajjigos husband, Ludovic Michaud, and her parents filed a $270 million wrongful-death claim a precursor to a formal lawsuit alleging that the gate should have been secured to prevent it from swinging into the road. 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. WebDENVER -- Ludovic Michaud has notified the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service that he intends to file a wrongful death lawsuit because of a crash at the entrance / CBS Colorado. 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. The show had an audience of 6.3 million every week. "I'm still trying to figure out how to move forward, how to wake up in the morning. Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. She'd come to Colorado to learn how to bolster her business acumen at the Watson Institute in Boulder. "Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again," Michaud said. She received numerous other humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. Michauds attorneys also said the federal government was aware of the dangers, citing a 1980 accident in which a man was impaled by an unsecured gate as he rode in the back of a pickup in Californias Stanislaus National Forest. Last updated: August 16, 2022 Was this page helpful? "She was very strong personality, really funny, really smart," said Ludovic Michaud, Essie Nakajjigo's husband. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Claim says gate penetrated car of a Denver man and his new wife during a strong windstorm at Utahs Arches National Park. She was decapitated. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. I think thats what they meant to show but I could be wrong "Despite this fact, the NPS has done nothing to ensure the safety of its visitors and guests.". Provided by death 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. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Michaud and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were in Arches National Park. Michaud, from France, took a job at a start-up. Widower Struggles With Loss After Wife Decapitated By Gate In Video Esther Nakajjigo beheaded by gate at Utahs Arches National Park Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. The couple was on their way to get ice cream when "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter," according to the claim, which was obtained by NBC News. Denver woman Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud, were visiting Arches National Park in mid-June when a freak accident left Nakajjigo dead.