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 . Revealed: All 76 bank branches that are shutting its doors this month in blow to the High Street with millions of Britons facing longer journeys and waiting times to speak to an advisor in person - is YOURS affected? The Met Gala begins! Moment commuter blasts eco-zealots, Royal superfans camping on The Mall ahead of King's Coronation, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Cambridge students party in the park during annual celebrations, Russian freight train derails and bursts into flames after explosion, Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', 'You motherf***ers don't understand': Bam Margera details 'turmoil', Ukraine drone strike hits major fuel depot in port Sevastopol. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. So it'd be like me pointing a piece of paper to you on its most narrow side. Kiszla: One-hit wonders? The family of a woman beheaded by a metal gate in front of her husband at a national park has launched a lawsuit for $140million (115m). Itd be like me pointing a piece of paper to you on its most narrow side. I know all the parks around Moab Its one of my favourite places in the US, if not my favourite place.. She was 25. EXCLUSIVE Boss of Lib-Dem run South Cambridgeshire council which was first to introduce a four-day week is IAN BIRRELL: Why are we kowtowing to a sinister dictatorship in China that still covers up the origins of Father 'crushed to death' in indoor cave at tourist attraction 'was read poem by his daughter' while he lay Can the Keto diet help treat mental illness? The Grand County Sheriffs Office arrived to investigate the accident. 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 . Biden FINALLY announces COVID vaccine requirement for travelers to US will be Have scientists finally created a jab to keep ALL flu strains at bay? Michaud, upon seeing the gruesome sight, said he jumped out of the car and ran to the visitor's center for help. The gate pierced the car, decapitating Nakajjigo. In life, Nakajjigo was recognized for her work on behalf of Ugandan girls before she was even an adult. Newlywed killed by swinging gate at Arches, 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), Newlywed killed by swinging gate at Arches National Park, Multiple fatalities in Illinois crash during dust storm, Paltrow denied bid to recoup attorneys fees in ski crash lawsuit, Concord: Man killed in 4:30 a.m. solo crash on I-680, Major crash closes stretch of Blacow Road in Fremont, One dead after car rear-ends tow truck on I-880. Esther Nakajjigo's horrified husband was driving when a metal gate was whipped round in the wind and cut into the car where she was sitting and beheading her in Arches National Park in Utah, US. If National Parks Service workers had simply secured the gate to the Arches parking lot with a padlock, Nakajjigo would still be alive, according to Michaud's claim. Doggy day-care! Shelly Bradbury is a breaking news reporter who joined The Denver Post in November 2019. She earned numerous humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. 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 . Controversial NHS Tavistock transgender clinic is threatened with court action by watchdog after failing to 'If I didn't build it, somebody else would've': The Godfather of A.I. Search renewed for Washington college professor who went Chinese builder miraculously survives after she fell onto a Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Moment large saltwater crocodile snatches pet dog off beach in QLD, 'We're not your enemies!' Nakajjigo focused on girls who had themselves become mothers through rape or forced marriages. Esther Nakajjigo with her husband Ludo Michaud, who witnessed her gruesome death. The car in which she was traveling was smashed causing her instant death. Keeler: Avs fans, could we please skip Valeri Nichushkin, Nazem Kadri revisionist history? The United States will pay $10.5 million in damages over the death of a prominent Ugandan human rights activist killed in a Utah park in 2020. . Caitlyn Jenner has shared some sad news.. On Friday morning (April 21), the 73-year-old Olympian and former reality star announced that her mother Esther Jenner had passed away the day before. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it, she told Fox 13. All rights reserved. In opening statements Monday in Salt Lake City, their attorneys said they were seeking $140 million (115m) in damages from the government accounting for Esther's earning potential. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Ms Nakajjigo met Mr Michaud after she relocated to the US, where she was awarded the Luff Peace Fellowship by the University of Boulder in Colorado. Then the car carrying him and his wife stopped. 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. The judge is expected to issue his ruling in the coming weeks. 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. Better late than never! The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. The gate had been left unlatched against federal policy for two weeks before it struck Esther Nakajjigo in June 2020, according to the lawsuit filed in Denver. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didnt have a Bachelors degree. Shes been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice. An Australian man is facing more than a year in prison if found guilty of spitting in the face of an imam at a mosque in Indonesia. I think the video will show in detail how fast this happened, Chang said. Nakajjigo was a Ugandan singer and actress who reportedly did charity work. She was interested in personal accomplishment, in doing good in the world, interested in care, education and opportunity for women and girls in her country of birth and elsewhere, Jenkins wrote. She previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. Other . A family is getting $10 million in the wrongful death of Ugandan human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, who was decapitated by a swinging metal gate in Arches National Park, Utah. For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the claim said. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, ', Nakajjigo's remains were sent to Uganda in August for funeral services in her native country. In less than a second, the metal pole went through the cars front windshield and killed Nakajjigo, who was sitting in the passenger seat. She later drew acclaim forprojects such as Saving Innocence Challenge, a reality show that provided schooling and funded businesses for hundreds of Lake Victoria island girls. If you have a story idea or tip for the FOX 13 Investigative unit, please share it with us below: Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Ask Amy: I put a security camera in my room, and what I saw was creepy, Ask Amy: My fiancee's family says I'm not invited, and she's going without me, The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded, 'Total dominance': Steph Curry breaks NBA Game 7 record, leads Warriors over Kings, Dear Abby: The reason her fiance hid his phone was something she never guessed, Mortgage fees to rise for buyers with high credit scores, fall for those with lower scores, Kurtenbach: Steph Curry built the Warriors dynasty. DIASPORA |Saturday, June 13, turned dark at noon in the lives of Ugandan activists as it marked the end of a bright ray of hope Esther Nakajjigo.According to the official statement from Wilson Jaga, the communications head for the office of the Ugandan Women and Girls, Nakajjigo was hit by a metallic gate of the Arches National Park due to a heavy storm. In a video compilation of the 25-year old's accomplishments, Nakajjigo looked at the camera and said, "Esther means star." At age 17, the former Uganda resident was given property to sell for her own tuition but instead used it to open a hospital for women and girls, many of whom had been assaulted and neglected. Legal Statement. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Nakajjigo was already a celebrity and accomplished humanitarian in her home country of Uganda. filed a claim with the National Park Service. Nakajjigo's horrific death has a precedent, states the document. EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Sting, 71, stuns guests renting out his Tuscany palace as he joins them for dinner before belting out some of his greatest hits. In the opening statements of the wrongful death lawsuit, attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigos family recounted the moment Michaud realised his wife had been killed. Notices of claim must be filed ahead of lawsuits against government agencies and the lawsuit was filed June 8 in federal court. Besides failing to latch the gate, the claim contends the gates clockwise pivot violated federal standards. At the time of her death, Nakajjigo was in a leadership program in Boulder, Colorado, to learn how to do even more. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. The pioneering heart operation that only takes an hour and doesn't leave a scar is performed on first Briton. Revealed: All 76 bank branches that are shutting its doors this month in blow to the High Street with Charlotte is daddy's double! A federal judge in Utah on Monday awarded more than $10.5 million to the family of Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo, a Ugandan human rights activist who was decapitated in Arches National Park in 2020. The gates now close counterclockwise toward oncoming traffic so drivers can more easily see them. The family of a women's rights activist from Uganda sued the National Park Service this month after she was decapitated last year by a gate at Utah's Arches National Park. The family of a woman beheaded by a metal gate in front of her husband at a national park has launched a lawsuit for $140million (115m). Thanks to her new 16m Harry Potter TV deal, it's JK Rowling who's having the last laugh over Scientists discover what happens seconds before you die - activity in the brain and heart RAMPS UP, Trendy hard floors could be to blame for your foot pain (and there is a simple way to stop it). The gates next to the visitors center at Arches have been changed. US attorneys dont dispute that park officials were to blame. UTAH BASE JUMPER SLAMS INTO SIDE OF MOUNTAIN, DANGLES IN AIR AFTER PARACHUTE CATCHES ON LEDGE. The horror of Nakajjigos death is one reason Michaud has filed a claim with the National Park Service seeking $270 million. 'He's been dead for 130 years and can still satisfy the ladies': Social media goes wild over mystery woman Cancelled? It is like a metal spear or a lance, Chang said, and it is at its most narrow profile pointing towards him in adobe colors like the surrounding area. Expressions of love, respect, admiration, the talk of raising at least three children are all circumstances, among other things, now lost and incapable of being ever fully replaced. Attorneys for the government have not disputed that park officials are at fault but instead have disputed how much the family should be awarded. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda.