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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 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. 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. 72 Join Insider . All times AEDT (GMT +11). 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. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. "You bear no responsibility. 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. Ugandan newlywed Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was visiting Arches National Park in Utah in June 2020 when she was struck and killed by a metal pole attached to a traffic control gate. Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her . 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. 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. Diana Dasrath is entertainment producer and senior reporter for NBC News covering all platforms. We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. 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. 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. For this work, the United Nations Population Fund gave her the Woman Achiever Award. Seven people have been rushed to hospital after severe turbulence on a flight led to an emergency landing. "I'll respond as soon as I'm able," Jenkins said. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. What if he hadn't suggested the trip to Arches? 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. When she was 17, she donated her university tuition money to start a private, nonprofit community health center that she named the Princess Diana Health Centre. The familys lawyer Deborah Chang said the gate struck the car so suddenly and was so well blended into the surrounding landscape the honeymooning couple had no chance of avoiding it. The last thing she said to him was, "Babe, I had the best time of my life." Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss en fonction de vos profils de centres dintrt; mesurer lefficacit des publicits et contenus personnaliss; et. 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. They said you have to lock it or its going to impale a car, so everyone knows, Chang said. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. 'Shadow pandemic': Women, girls bear unequal share of Covid-19 burden, U.N. official warns, National parks begin to reopen across the country. The trial began in December and in court, per the AP, family attorney Randi McGinn reportedly argued Nakajjigo could have eventually brought in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, annually had she survived. The ruling was. He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. 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. 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. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. "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. The National Park Service did not respond to repeated inquiries from NBC News, nor did Arches National Park Chief Ranger Scott Brown. "Because (Nakajjigo) is off the charts, you can't use the charts to evaluate her," McGinn said. The administrative claim is a legally required precursor to a lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in about six months. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it, she told Fox 13. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it.. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. In court, Michaud described his relationship with Nakajjigo as the best time of his life., It feels lonely, and thats hard. 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 metal gate at Arches National Park, normally secured with a lock, was left untethered. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her husband in Denver, where she moved to attend a leadership course on a full scholarship. Nakajjigo created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to The Denver Post. Chang expects to file the lawsuit in about six months. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud visited the park in mid June. Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the U.S. government must pay her family more than $10 million in damages. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent . Its a fear of erasing her, I guess, when you use something that she bought or that she ate or that we did together, he said. Courtesy Ludovic Michaud Nakajjigo. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. I found her really interesting. One of his regrets is not saying, "I love you," one more time. She met Michaud on Tinder in 2019, when she was attending a leadership program in Boulder, Colorado. Because neither the U.S. nor Nakajjigos family disputed the facts of the case, the civil suit focused largely on the amount of damages merited. 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. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. I felt completely meaningless after losing Nakajjigo, he said. He said he didnt deny Nakajjigo was an extraordinary person, but argued it was difficult to speculate what kind of work she would have gone on to do. Photo: Esther Nakajjigo/Twitter. 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.". Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. At age 17, Nakajjigo. Esther Nakajjigo was a prominent Ugandan human rights activist who was killed in Utah's Arches National Park in 2020. During the trials opening statements in December, Nakajjigo was described as a pearl beyond price with limitless potential. National parks begin to reopen across the country. She was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. 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. Esther Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud). New pill cuts cholesterol, heart attacks, Suspect in Dylan Rounds disappearance charged with murder. None. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. 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. The large monetary damages being sought on behalf of Michaud and Nakajjigos parents are a reflection of the suffering they have gone through plus the loss of Nakajjigos future income and fundraising abilities, Chang said. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a . All rights reserved. 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. 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. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax 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. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. 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.. Berndt also said her team can take into account only Nakajjigo's education and earning history at the time of her death, exclusive from the money she raised for charitable organizations. Attorneys representing the U.S. commended her work, yet noted her most recent job was working at a restaurant making $15 per hour. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Yet park employees could have done a lot, the claim alleges, including taking note during inspections of the gate that it posed a danger and putting an inexpensive padlock on it. The lawsuit was filed about a year after Nakajjigo was killed in June 2020, when wind apparently caused the unsecured, metal gate on the parks main road to swing around and strike her and her husbands car, decapitating her. Her mother flew to Utah from Uganda to attend the trial this week. In their legal complaint, Michaud and Nakajjigos parents said the National Park Service was negligent for not maintaining the gate. Donate to the newsroom now. 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. IE 11 is not supported. I know all the parks around Moab Its one of my favourite places in the US, if not my favourite place.. 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. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. Nakajjigo and her husband Ludovic Michaud were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the region's national parks months after their wedding. This decision serves as a reminder of the importance of proper maintenance and safety measures in our national parks, so as to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, Michaud said in a statement to CBS News on Monday. Nakajjigo was killed instantly. 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 By his verdict, Judge Bruce Jenkins has shown the world how the American justice system works to hold its own government accountable and greatly values all lives, including that of Esther Nakajjigo, a remarkable young woman from Uganda, Randi McGinn, the familys attorney said in a statement. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, the husband of Esther Nakajjigo told NBC News in an exclusive interview. Her dreams were just about to come true, Chang said. 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. US attorneys have said this claim was too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. 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. 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. "The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Uganda's 'Young Personality of the Year,'" the Post reported. 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. One, Saving Innocence, depicted teenage girls from urban areas helping teen moms in rural communities go back to school.