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 She previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. 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. She was also named Uganda's Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony; just a few of her numerous humanitarian awards. A gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung across the roadway. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year,' the Denver Post reported in a 2020 article detailing Nakajjigos death. 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. Shes got quite a few projects started, and we need to make sure those projects survive after her. You may experience delays during the busy season between March and October and on holiday weekends. The family is hoping to use money from the case to continue Essie's projects. WebEsther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. No An official form of the United States government. WebIn 2020, Ludovic Michaud was driving with his 25-year-old wife Esther Nakajjigo out of Utah's Arches National Park to get ice cream on June 13 when a metal gate swung into the car 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. The National parks Service didn't respond to a request for comment on the claim from The Sun. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. WebWhen I went to Arches National Park in 2021, I got turned around at the gate. (AP Photo/Lindsay Whitehurst, File). 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. 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. Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com The pair married in March of this year. He didn't know Nakajjigo had a massive following in her native Uganda. Claim says gate penetrated car of a Denver man and his new wife during a strong windstorm at Utahs Arches National Park. All rights reserved. Both claims ask for $15 million in damages for wrongful death. 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. WebThis incident happened June 13 just before 2 p.m. as the couple were leaving the park, according to the claim. 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 They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June from its coronavirus shutdown. Michaud, from France, took a job at a start-up. "The NPS have a duty to reasonably inspect, operate, and maintain these gates and guard against foreseeable dangers," the claims says. Elon Musk Wins Funding Secured Shareholder Lawsuit, Blog vs YouTube Over Other Websites: How to Choose, Behind the Story of Ghostbed vs. Purple Mattress Lawsuit, Investigation Reveals Goodyears Dunlop D402 Tires Have Caused Dozens of Motorcycle Accidents, Amputees Third Attempt at Holding Medical Personnel Responsible Pays Off. Video of the crash shows Michaud was driving and Nakajjigo was in the front passenger seat as they drove toward the gate at about the same speed as other vehicles, according to a sheriffs report. Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. 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. Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution," the tweet said. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Webcam Entrance Station Webcam It's likely the first step in a lengthy federal lawsuit. 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 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, Market data provided by Factset. As they entered, high winds blew the park entrance gate a swinging pole back across the highway. Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were on vacation in eastern Utah, visiting national parks across the region several months after their wedding. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Deborah Chang, the Los Angeles-based attorney representing Michaud, claimed there was nothing he could do to swerve out of the way of the gate that killed his wife and missed him by a hair. 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. On June 13, they had gone on a hike and had a picnic. 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 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. She was living in Boulder, Colorado, and attending the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators, when she met Michaud. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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.". The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who is originally from Paris but now lives in Denver. or redistributed. 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Legal Statement. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Lawmakers targeting hospital facility fees, (720) 263-2338 Call, text, Signal or WhatsApp, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. 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. GRAND COUNTY, Utah A 27-year-old Denver man filed a wrongful death claim against the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) on Oct. 22 after it says his wife was decapitated by a vehicle gate at Arches National Park in Grand County, Utah. 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. WebLudovic 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 "She was very strong personality, really funny, really smart," said Ludovic Michaud, Essie Nakajjigo's husband. 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.. Courtesy 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. The show had an audience of 6.3 million every week. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. 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, attorney Randi McGinn said in a statement announcing the award. Denver woman Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic "Ludo" Michaud, were visiting Arches National Park in mid-June when a freak accident left Nakajjigo dead. She was decapitated. The couple had traveled to Arches in celebration of their one-year anniversary of meeting. 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. DENVER (AP) 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. WebEsther Nakajjigo was killed at Utahs Arches National Park when a metal pipe from a swinging gate decapitated her. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. "Despite this fact, the NPS has done nothing to ensure the safety of its visitors and guests.". Chang has filed a $270 million claim for wrongful death. 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. United States attorneys do not dispute that park officials shouldered blame, but argued the amount the family should be awarded is far less and called into questions the ways in which the damages being sought were calculated. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Provided by For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the lawsuit said. For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the claim said. The 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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