The family says under federal park rules, similar gates should be secured, but the gate that struck Ms Nakajjigo had been unlatched for weeks, Fox 13 reports. 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. The family are arguing that the US Park Service was negligent and did not properly maintain the gates at the entrances and exits to the parks, leading to their loved one's death. "I'm doing whatever I can to get better. Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. Judge Bruce Jenkins said he wants to "examine with care" all the information presented during the weeklong trial. 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. New pill cuts cholesterol, heart attacks, Suspect in Dylan Rounds disappearance charged with murder. 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. 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 Her dreams were just about to come true, Chang said. 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. She was particularly passionate about reducing teenage pregnancy and created two reality television shows that empowered women. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, the husband of Esther Nakajjigo told NBC News in an exclusive interview. A lot of things remind me of her, Michaud told the. Sign up today. 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. Twist after newlywed decapitated by gate at national park - Yahoo! 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. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death In their legal complaint, Michaud and Nakajjigos parents said the National Park Service was negligent for not maintaining the gate. Family of Ugandan Awarded $10.5M for Utah Park Death 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. Esther Nakajjigo, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in a horrific accident at Arches National Park on June 13, 2020. 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. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. The couple was leaving a park parking lot to get ice cream when a metal traffic control gate swung into the road, piercing the passenger side of the couples rental car and severing Nakajjigos head. The last thing she said to him was, "Babe, I had the best time of my life." There is a lot of small things I miss.. Our mission is to make sure this doesnt happen again, Michaud said. You wouldnt able to detect it or see it, she told Fox 13. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family of Esther Nakajjigo celebrated the judgement, [] In pink tops and white pants, women celebrate free period products becoming available in Utahs state buildings, Proposal to boost Utah bar licenses gets smaller with another round of cuts by lawmakers, Moab, Park City cry foul as Utah lawmakers target rules for vacation homes. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated at Arches National Park in Utah after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her car, killing her immediately as her husband sat in the seat next to her. The claim alleged that had park employees used an $8 padlock to secure the gate from moving in the breeze, it could have avoided the victim being "needlessly decapitated.". In court, Michaud described his relationship with Nakajjigo as the best time of his life., It feels lonely, and thats hard. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was driving around the stunning Arches National Park in Utah, US, in 2020 along with her husband Ludovic Michaud when the unthinkable happened. According to NBC, the claim was served Oct. 22, and alleges that if park employees had properly installed the gate to not swing into oncoming traffic or placed an $8 padlock on the gate to secure it from moving in the breeze, the world would not have lost a young woman influencer destined to become our societys future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates, or Oprah Winfrey.. 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. Woman's decapitation at Arches National Park leads to $270M wrongful As they were leaving the park on June 13, 2020, heavy winds apparently blew the metal entrance gate into the passenger side of the vehicle, striking and killing Nakajjigo. We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. 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.". The gate had been unsecured for the previous two weeks, despite national park requirements that prohibit gates from swinging, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court. Throughout the trial, attorneys debated estimates of Nakajjigos earnings potential. Family of woman decapitated in Utah national park by swinging gate to All this building towards the $140million in damages. She later created a pair of reality television shows designed to empower women. Theres a newsletter that went out to all the parks and the National Park Service that warned of this decades ago. Ms Nakajjigos husband said his wifes death was the worst thing I hope I will ever see. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death 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. She was named as Ugandas ambassador for women and girls and received an award from the United Nations after she used her university tuition money to start a non-profit community centre that offered free healthcare to girls and women aged 10 to 24. On Monday, a federal judge in Utah ruled that the U.S. government must pay her family more than $10 million in damages. The trial gave me and Essies family members an opportunity to tell Essies beautiful story, and it was so important to me to have the chance to stand up and speak for this amazing woman.. He no longer has a TV in his apartment because the sight of any blood is triggering, he said. Its still hard to concentrate, but I try to.. 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. They wed in a courthouse ceremony in March 2020, three months before her death, and had plans to have a big ceremony in Uganda when it was safe to travel again. 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. Accident claims Ugandan activist Nakajjigo in US - New Vision Nakajjigo was a women's rights champion in her home country of Uganda; she founded a nonprofit community health center using her college tuition money, and created two reality TV shows centered around empowering women. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax 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. Instead, the Utah park became the site of a horrific accident that killed her. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages over the death of Esther Nakajjigo, a prominent . 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. Ugandan activist's family awarded $10.5M for Utah park death Family of Ugandan philanthropist decapitated by traffic gate in Arches 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. At just 17, using her college tuition money, she created a nonprofit community health center. Esther Nakajjigo was driving with her newlywed husband on their honeymoon in Arches when an open road gate was swung by strong winds into their rental car. I found her really interesting. The gate reportedly smashed through the side of the car and struck Nakajjigo . We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The amount was far less than the $140 million Nakajjigos family originally sought. But now, Michaud said, he returns to an apartment that doesn't feel like a home. 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. He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled with flashbacks. Picture: Handout The family of a women's 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. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Arches National Park in 2020. Seven people have been rushed to hospital after severe turbulence on a flight led to an emergency landing. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didnt have a Bachelors degree. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en cliquant sur le lien Tableau de bord sur la vie prive prsent sur nos sites et dans nos applications. The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. 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. Trial begins for woman decapitated at Arches National Park Esther FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Courtesy of. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigos family, on Monday asked the family to leave when he described the death in gruesome detail. An activist's dreams 'were about to come true.' Then, a horrific You wouldnt able to detect it or see it.. In pink tops and white pants, women celebrate free period products becoming available in Utahs state buildings, Proposal to boost Utah bar licenses gets smaller with another round of cuts by lawmakers, Moab, Park City cry foul as Utah lawmakers target rules for vacation homes.
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