By age 25, when she died, she had accomplished more than most people do in an entire lifetime and had much more to do with her life, court documents state. 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 . He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. The claim, served Oct. 22, is seeking more than $270 million in damages from the National Park Service. By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. Mr Michaud and Ms Nakajjigos family have filed a lawsuit in a US court accusing the National Park Service of negligence, Fox 13 reports. The ongoing trial will largely focus on determining the damages that may go to her family and Michaud. 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. The 25-year-old human rights activist and newlywed wife. 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. 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 The suit was filed last. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the Salt Lake Tribune. Get Toofab breaking news sent right to your browser! The tragic accident is now the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit Michaud and Nakajjigo's family are pursuing, in which they argue that the U.S. Park Service was negligent and did not maintain . 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. Esther Nakajjigo lost her life when she was decapitated at an entrance to Arches National Park in Utah back in June. I really wanted to show her Arches, he told Fox 13. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was on a trip to the Utah park with her . sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. One time it was the delivery of her Social Security card; another time, an update on her immigration status. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement . They argued that had employees installed the gate properly and secured it with an $8 padlock, Nakajjigos death could have been prevented, 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, on Monday. "Because (Nakajjigo) is off the charts, you can't use the charts to evaluate her," McGinn said. She later created a pair of reality television shows designed to empower women. Michaud hopes he and Nakajjigos family can continue her legacy. I know all the parks around Moab Its one of my favourite places in the US, if not my favourite place.. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband were visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a . In their legal complaint, Michaud and Nakajjigos parents said the National Park Service was negligent for not maintaining the gate. NBC wrote that Nakajjigo had come to the United States to further her education, participating in programs at Drexel University in Philadelphia as a Mandela Washington Fellow and at the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colo., where she was the recipient of a Luff Peace Fellowship., Michaud, originally of France, was uninjured in the accident, but, according to NBCs report, has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder., Donate to the newsroom now. minutes. After seeing a pregnant 14-year-old girl die during a difficult delivery, Nakajjigo decided to use her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center that provided free reproductive health services to females aged 10-24. Nakajigos family and Michaud are suing the U.S. government for negligence as well as negligent infliction of emotional distress on the part of Michaud, who had to witness the grisly scene. Sign up today. The family of Esther Nakajjigo accused the National Park Service of negligence for not properly securing the metal gate that killed her. Nakajjigo and her husband Ludovic Michaud were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the region's national parks months after their wedding. This photo was taken in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. Esther Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, pose at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. 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. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. They argued that had employees installed the gate properly and secured it with an $8 padlock, Nakajjigos death could have been prevented, NBC News reported. "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good," the claim continues. The sum they are seeking has not been disclosed, however a previous claim filed by the family against the National Park Service which is the step before a lawsuit can be filed asked for more than $A351 million. Michaud and his in-laws are asking a federal judge for $140 million. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. SALT LAKE CITY Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud has tortured himself with a lot of "what ifs?" She was also awarded a full scholarship from the king of Buganda. One series reportedly had a weekly audience of 6.3 million viewers. "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. 45 Join Insider . The 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. "This act of selflessness went viral throughout Uganda, and she was featured in numerous magazines and news publications. On June 13, 2020, Nakajjigo, who was riding in the passenger seat as her husband drove them out of the park, was suddenly decapitated when the triangular, metal gate swung around and sliced into their rental car. 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. He was "instantly covered with blood," the complaint says. The wind whipped a metal gate round which sliced through the passenger door of the car and decapitated Esther. On Monday, a federal judge ruled Ludovic Michaud, the husband of Esther Nakajjigo, will receive $9.5 million, while Nakajjigo's mother and father were awarded $700,000 and $350,000, respectively, per the Salt Lake Tribune. The administrative claim is a legally required precursor to a lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in about six months. Elizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News who focuses on health and mental health, particularly issues that affect women and children. 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. Nakajjigo, who was 25, lived with her. John Ssenkindu, Esther's brother, told journalists that her sister was hit by a metallic gate of the Arches National Park in the US . 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. Lindsay Whitehurst/AP 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. The last thing she said to him was, "Babe, I had the best time of my life." Judge Bruce Jenkins said he wants to "examine with care" all the information presented during the weeklong trial. The women's rights activist from Uganda was 25 when, during a camping trip to Arches National Park in June 2020, she was beheaded by a metal gate that blew closed in strong winds and sliced through the side of the car she was riding in. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didnt have a Bachelors degree. Her husband, Michaud, is seeking $240 million in damages from the National Park Service, while Nakajjigo's family is seeking $30 million. "The National Park Service has, in fact, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous condition," the claim states, as reported by CBS Denver.. $270 MILLION LAWSUIT McGinn argued that the smaller projections were based on categories of evaluation not allowed for under Utah law. 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. 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. 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.. Instead, Michaud met his wife's family -- who traveled to the States from Uganda -- for the first time just before the trial started. Nakajjigo, who went by Essie, was a womens rights champion in Uganda. Nakajjigo was. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) 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. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. The lawsuit filed by Ludovic Michaud, of Denver, claims his wife Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while in the passenger seat of a car exiting Arches National Park. 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. Michaud was not injured in the accident, but he was covered head-to-toe in his wifes blood. Michaud said he and Nakajjigo were two weeks shy of closing on a condo when the accident occurred, with hopes of owning a house down the road. Jenkins awarded Michaud $9.5 million; Nakajjigos mother, Christine Namagembe, $700,000; and her father, John Bosco Kateregga, $350,000. 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. She was subsequently named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. 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. Instead, "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter." 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. in the two-plus years since his wife, Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo, was hit and killed by an unsecured gate while the couple was leaving Arches National Park. Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do, Can't take statins? The gruesome nature of Nakajjigo's death and the fact that she was a renowned Ugandan women's rights activist drew widespread attention to the case. Esther Nakajjigo had been visiting Utah's Arches National Park when she was killed by a gate caught in the wind. Something went wrong, please try again later. 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. 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.

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