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 They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June from its coronavirus shutdown. NBC reported that he was flown to Moab Regional Hospital. The claim argues that an $8 padlock or proper maintenance would have prevented the death. She was living in Boulder, Colorado, and attending the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators, when she met Michaud. A lot of people just want to continue that because thats what she would have wanted from us.. All rights reserved. Nakajjigo, adds CBS, had grown up in poverty. 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. 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. WebThe photo in this video of the arch is Corona Arch and I dont its in Archs national park. As Nakajjigo and her husband were leaving Arches National Park, a strong gust of wind swung the gate with sufficient force to slice through the passenger door of the couples vehicle, decapitating Nakajjigo as her husband sat in the drivers seat. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The claim says the gate was left open and unrestrained, causing major damage to the hood and the front passenger fender, door and window. The park which has over 2000 arches that According to the claim, 25-year-old Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while sitting in the passenger seat of a car that was exiting Arches National Park. Chang has filed a $270 million claim for wrongful death. WebThe family of a young woman who was killed by a swinging gate at Arches National Park has sued the park service over her death. 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Arches National Park, which has more than 2,000 natural stone arches,closed Delicate Arch on Friday for a about six hours before it reopened, the parksaid on Twitter. 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. The couple had traveled to Arches in celebration of their one-year anniversary of meeting. Chief Ranger Scott Brown said a 65-year-old man and 60-year-old woman died after falling She married Michaud in March, just as COVID-19 was starting to make U.S. headlines. 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. "How do you measure someone like her? Both claims ask for $15 million in damages for wrongful death. Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. WebThe 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on June 13, 2020 when she, along with her new husband Ludovic Michaud, visited Utah. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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), Bay Area weather: After thunderstorms and hail, snow could be on the way this weekend, Newlywed 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. Legal Statement. The Grand County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didn't have a Bachelor's degree. 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, Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. Suspect arrested after 6 stabbed in downtown L.A. 3 arrested for nearly $1 million in stolen student, Carjacking suspect shot in wild chase in L.A. County, Newport Beach home dangling after cliffside collapse, Over $38M stolen from low-income SoCal families, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. RELATED: Search of Aurora house in case of missing teen Lashaya Stine continues, RELATED: Head brewer at Denver Beer Co. dies in climbing accident, SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Local stories from 9NEWS. "The NPS have a duty to reasonably inspect, operate, and maintain these gates and guard against foreseeable dangers," the claims says. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "The National Park Service has, in face, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous conditions," says the claim. 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. She was decapitated. WebSALT LAKE CITY Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, was driving around the scenic red rock landscapes of Utah's Arches National Park on a windy spring day in 2020 when something 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It's known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. 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. Ludovic Michaud says that his wife, 25-year-old Esther Nakajjigo, was decapitated when a metal gate swung into their 2020 Chevy Malibu as they were leaving the park on June 13, 2020, according to the claim. WebThe United States will pay family members of a Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in a 2020 accident at Arches National Park more than $10 million in damages, a federal Attorney Deborah Chang, who filed the claim on behalf of Michaud, as well as Nakajjigos parents, wrote that the National Park Service has for years used entrance and exit gates made of metal poles with spear-like sharp ends, and they were known to swing into roadways when left unsecured. 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. ", First published on November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM. WebHikers walk beside the Delicate Arch at sunset in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah on April 21, 2018. "I had a ton of flashbacks. Shes got quite a few projects started, and we need to make sure those projects survive after her. DENVER (CBS4) - The family of a woman killed while visiting Arches National Park is hoping they can change the dangerous conditions that lead to her death and continue the philanthropy she inspired around the globe. WebEsther 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. He said he didn't deny Nakajjigo was an extraordinary person, but argued it was difficult to speculate what kind of work she would have gone on to do. The young Ugandan human rights activist was decapitated by an unsecured metal gate on the periphery of Arches National Park. Arches National Park is best known for its At 17, She was named an Ambassador for Uganda's Women girls by nonprofit organization IREX. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Decapitated human rights activists family wins $10 million lawsuit after accident at Utah park, Denver newlyweds trip to Arches National Park ends with wifes death, Family awarded $10.5 million for newlywed decapitated by metal gate at Arches National Park in Utah. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In the fatal incident, a gust of wind apparently dislodged it and sent it smashing into the passenger side of the couples rented car. More Videos Next up in 5 Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. While the Nakajjigo family had initially sought more in compensatory damages, their attorneys celebrated the judgment, saying that it isby farthe largest federal wrongful death verdict in Utah history. According to CBS News, neither the U.S. government nor the Nakajjigo family disputed the facts of the claim. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "The trail up to Delicate Arch has reopened for use. Fox News Flash top headlines for December 6. 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.". Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. A video of the crash shows Michaud was driving and Nakajjigo was In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. All rights reserved. He is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Chief Ranger Scott Brown said a 65-year-old man and 60-year-old woman died after falling into the bowl area near Delicate Arch. ", The widower described his late wife as someone who was "always willing to help.". Read more about Traffic and Travel Tips. "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.". 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. 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. This story has been updated to correct Michauds age. WebWhen I went to Arches National Park in 2021, I got turned around at the gate. She was also named Uganda's Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony; just a few of her numerous humanitarian awards. 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. Michaud and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were in Arches National Park. "The woman I loved and I saw her for just her.". 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, Chang wrote in the claim. 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. She received numerous other humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. By the time Nakajjigo left Uganda to pursue a fully-funded leadership course in Denver, she had raised enough money to build health care facilities in her hometown. We are unapologetic in our dedication to informing the public and unafraid to call out those who are more focused on profits than peoples safety. 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. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. She's done more at the age of 25 than most people do in their entire lives," she said. Esther Nakajjigo a human-rights advocate from Uganda who was studying at a leadership institute in Colorado was killed instantly in the June 13 incident. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, tragically died on June 13 after a metal gate swung into the car she and her 26-year-old husband Ludovic Michaud were driving as they exited the parking lot of the Utah landmark. She and Michaud were married in March. 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.