arches national park gate death video

Nakajjigo worked on fundraising to open a hospital in an underserved part of Kampala, Uganda's capital, became a philanthropic celebrity and immigrated to the United States for a fellowship at the Boulder, Colorado-based Watson Institute for emerging leaders. The most important thing for me is to try continuing what shes done, Michaud said. The family is hoping to use money from the case to continue Essie's projects. CBS News reports that the case attracted significant attention, considering the gruesome circumstances and Nakajjigos status as a relatively well-known human rights activist. Nakajjigo, adds CBS, had grown up in poverty. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? 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. WebAccording 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. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. The three people involved were related, Brown said. The United States government will pay more than $10 million to the family of a Ugandan human rights activist who was decapitated in a 2020 accident at Arches National Park in Utah. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. WebThe 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. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. 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. WebWidower Struggles With Loss After Wife Decapitated By Gate In Arches National Park 1,777,542 views Nov 12, 2020 30K Dislike Save CBS Colorado 98.1K subscribers According to CBS News, neither the U.S. government nor the Nakajjigo family disputed the facts of the claim. 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.. She received numerous other humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. The pair married in March of this year. The lawsuit, adds CBS, observed that the activists death could have been prevented if Arches National Park had simply purchased an $8 padlock for the unsecured gate. Then the car carrying him and his wife stopped. ", "Such metal pipe gates have been known to move when left unsecured, swing to the traveled part of the roadways, and penetrate into vehicles," the claim argues. 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 Grand County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Michaud, of Denver, is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. He told NBC that the harrowing accident has left him traumatized, and he continues to suffer from PTSD months after. 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. Arches National Park is best known for its pristine sandstone arches and its massive red Delicate Arch, which has featured in countless Instagram photos. 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. Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. The National Park Service has, in fact, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous condition for its park invitees, the claim reads, noting three other instances since 1988 in which people in cars were killed by such gates. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 2 min read June 17, 2021 - 6:27AM Esther Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. No An official form of the United States government. Upon leaving, an unsecured metal gate swung into the road, killing Nakajjigo who was sitting in the passenger seat. Shes got quite a few projects started, and we need to make sure those projects survive after her. 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. Webcam Entrance Station Webcam Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo Michaud, 27, were driving out of the park during a camping trip on June 13 when strong winds blew the metal gate into the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter, according to the administrative claim, which was filed in October. Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. 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, sliced through the passenger door of his car and decapitated his new 25-year-old wife, Esther Nakajjigo. 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. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Nakajjigo was involved in countless philanthropic endeavors. 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, 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.". He didn't know Nakajjigo had a massive following in her native Uganda. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who is originally from Paris but now lives in Denver. Courtesy 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. 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. Michaud and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were in Arches National Park. "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. Michaud, who lived with his Ugandan wife in Denver, Colorado, wasn't injured in the accident, but he told the news station he was completely covered in his wife's blood. Both claims ask for $15 million in damages for wrongful death. She and Michaud were married in March, and the two traveled to Arches to celebrate the one-year anniversary of when they first met on a dating app. ", "What he saw and experienced that day, I cannot even imagine," said Deborah Chang, an attorney representing Michaud and the Nakajjigo family. She described Nakajjigo as a prominent women's rights activist who 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. Its near it but not there. A lot of people just want to continue that because thats what she would have wanted from us.. 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 Legal Reader is devoted to protecting consumers. WebHikers walk beside the Delicate Arch at sunset in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah on April 21, 2018. Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. Ludovic Michaud and Essie Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud), Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. The United Nations Population Fund gave her a Woman Achiever Award when she was 17, and she was named Ugandas Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony. ", First published on November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM. The show had an audience of 6.3 million every week. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Her husband, Ludovic Michaud, and her parents in October filed a $270 million wrongful-death claim a precursor to the formal lawsuit alleging that the gate should have been secured to prevent it from swinging into the road. NEW YORK POLICE SERGEANT FATALLY STRUCK IN WRONG-WAY CRASH. just as COVID-19 was starting to make U.S. headlines, Do not sell or share my personal information. One of the Denver couple's stops was Arches National Park near Moab. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. The trial over a wrong death lawsuit of a Ugandan activist has begun. Produced by the Discovery Channel, this video highlights the geological marvels and cultural history of both Arches and Canyonlands, with footage of the spectacular and challenging red rock wilderness surrounding them. She previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. 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. 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. In Colorado, she met Michaud, who had moved there from France. Michaud's filing clears the path for a full lawsuit, which is expected to be served within the coming months. 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.. On October 22, Michaud filed a wrongful death claim against the US National Parks Service seeking $270million in damages. "I'm still trying to figure out how to move forward, how to wake up in the morning. The gate is just before the visitors center as drivers leave the park, near Moab, Utah. We take pride in exposing the hypocrisy of corporations, other organizations, and individuals whose actions put innocent people in harms way. 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. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. Provided by 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. 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. "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.". 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. / CBS Colorado. There was less than a second between when the gate started to move and when it struck the car and killed Nakajjigo, according to the report. Market data provided by Factset. Please enter valid email address to continue. Legal Statement. At 17, She was named an Ambassador for Uganda's Women girls by nonprofit organization IREX. All rights reserved. In an email to The Associated Press, National Park Service spokeswoman Vanessa Lacayo expressed sympathy for Nakajjigos family, friends and those whose lives she touched but did not address the wrongful death claim. She received numerous other humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. Claim says gate penetrated car of a Denver man and his new wife during a strong windstorm at Utahs Arches National Park. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. The park which has over 2000 arches that They said claims by the familys lawyers that Nakajjigo, who was 25 at the time of her death, was on track to be a non-profit CEO shortly were too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. 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. November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Opening statements previewed how the trial will hinge less on varying accounts of the accident and instead focus on Nakajiigo's biography and earning potential, which is used to calculate a portion of the damages. She and Michaud were married in March. Arches National Park is best known for its "The trail up to Delicate Arch has reopened for use. She married Michaud in March, just as COVID-19 was starting to make U.S. headlines. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. 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. The suit was filed on June 8. "Despite this fact, the NPS has done nothing to ensure the safety of its visitors and guests.". Nakajjigo moved to Boulder, Colorado when she was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute and began a social entrepreneurship program in 2019. 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. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. 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