You may experience delays during the busy season between March and October and on holiday weekends. The gate is just before the visitors center as drivers leave the park, near Moab, Utah. 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. 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. The show had an audience of 6.3 million every week. Michauds attorneys also said the federal government was aware of the dangers, citing a 1980 accident in which a man was impaled by an unsecured gate as he rode in the back of a pickup in Californias Stanislaus National Forest. Trial to begin for human rights activist killed by gate in Arches She'd come to Colorado to learn how to bolster her business acumen at the Watson Institute in Boulder. In his ruling, Judge Jenkins said that the death was gruesome and overwhelmingly shocking.. After requesting that the family leave the courtroom, she recounted the moment Michaud realized his wife had been killed, when he inhaled the copper-tinged smell of blood, turned to figure out what it was and saw she was dead. Webcams WebVideo 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 As they entered, high winds blew the park entrance gate a swinging pole back across the highway. WebMOAB, Utah Ludo Michaud heard a loud noise. gate 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. 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.. "I was a couple of inches from dying, but I didnt, and right now I have a mission: Its to make sure what shes done continues," said Michaud. "The most important thing for me is to try continuing what she's done," Michaud said to The Associated Press. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Family sues after newlywed is killed by gate at Arches park Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Read more about Traffic and Travel Tips. future Oprah or Princess Diana Passionate about international politics and world affairs, hes an avid traveler with a keen interest in the connections between South Asia and the United States. 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. Then the car carrying him and his wife stopped. The gate barely missed Michaud. Michaud is asking for more than $220 million in damages for wrongful death, and $20 million in damages for personal injury. 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. 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. Chang said she plans to file a formal lawsuit if the claim is rejected. 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. Family of Woman Decapitated by Swinging Gate at State Park All rights reserved. They were married in March 2020 and headed to Arches on a belated honeymoon as soon as the park reopened from its coronavirus shutdown. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? Lindsay Clancy's murder of 3 kids shows cruel trick psychosis plays, Train derailment in Springfield, Ohio as residents ordered to shelter in place, Rape survivor 'sobbed seeing Gabby Petito bodycam vid after same cop did nothing', Mom 'stabs 3 of her kids to death and wounds 2 others in unsupervised visit', 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, A 25-year-old activist was beheaded in a freak accident while enjoying a trip to Arches National Park in Utah, 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. The park was at capacity and it was just after 8 a.m. National parks want to 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. A 30-year-old man who also fell was hospitalized; his current condition is unknown. Arches National Park By the time Nakajjigo left Uganda to pursue a fully-funded leadership course in Denver, she had raised enough money to build health care facilities in her hometown. NPS faces wrongful death claim after newlywed decapitated by Webcam Entrance Station Webcam "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.". "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. 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. One of the Denver couple's stops was Arches National Park near Moab. The three people involved were related, Brown said. (AP Photo/Lindsay Whitehurst, File). WebHuman rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, 25, died on June 13, 2020, when a traffic control gate blew into her rental car at Arches National Park in the US state of Utah. Michaud, from France, took a job at a start-up. NBC reported that he was flown to Moab Regional Hospital. Nakajjigo moved to Boulder, Colorado when she was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute and began a social entrepreneurship program in 2019. 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. Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com November 13, 2020 / 7:49 AM Its near it but not there. "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good.". The suit was filed on June 8. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | 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. Nakajjigo grew up in Uganda and at 17 was recognized by the United Nations for her work for women shed donated her college tuition money to start a nonprofit community health center that provided free reproductive health services to young women. It's known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. A gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung across the roadway. We just dont want this to ever happen again, Michaud said in an interview Thursday. A YOUNG activist hailed as a "future Princess Diana or Oprah" for her work was decapitated in a gruesome accident while she and her husband were hiking in Arches National Park. 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. 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. "I'm still trying to figure out how to move forward, how to wake up in the morning. Traffic may back up between the entrance station and US 191. Image via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr/user: Brian Turner. "The NPS have a duty to reasonably inspect, operate, and maintain these gates and guard against foreseeable dangers," the claims says. Chief Ranger Scott Brown said a 65-year-old man and 60-year-old woman died after falling In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. Ryan Farrick is a freelance writer and small business advertising consultant based out of mid-Michigan. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Michauds attorneys also said the federal government was aware of the dangers, citing a 1980 accident in which a man was impaled by an unsecured gate as he rode in the back of a pickup in Californias Stanislaus National Forest. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. 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. Arches National Park, notes CBS News, had just re-opened recreation following a decrease in coronavirus cases. FOX 13 Investigates: Grisly decapitation of ambassador at Arches She was also named Uganda's Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony; just a few of her numerous humanitarian awards. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. On June 13, they had gone on a hike and had a picnic. Michaud and his wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were in Arches National Park. ", "What he saw and experienced that day, I cannot even imagine," said Deborah Chang, an attorney representing Michaud and the Nakajjigo family. The gate narrowly missed Michaud, who was driving. Arches National Park According to CBS News, Esther Essie Nakajjigo was killed after a metal gate at Arches sliced through the passenger side of the vehicle driven by her newlywed husband. The webcams below provide views from either end of the Arches National Park entrance road. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. He told NBC that the harrowing accident has left him traumatized, and he continues to suffer from PTSD months after. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. 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. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. 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 Trial begins Ugandan woman's death in Arches National Park Michaud, of Denver, is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. Video 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.. That same year, she was awarded the Woman Achiever Award from the United Nations Population Fund. NEW YORK POLICE SERGEANT FATALLY STRUCK IN WRONG-WAY CRASH. 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. Several dozen per day. 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. Michaud is seeking $240 million in damages and Nakajjigo's parents are seeking $30 million. We loved getting out and going to beautiful places," Michaud said. She and Michaud were married in March. Upon leaving, an unsecured metal gate swung into the road, killing Nakajjigo who was sitting in the passenger seat. 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. Arches National Park is best known for its pristine sandstone arches and its massive red Delicate Arch, which has featured in countless Instagram photos. On the edge of the park, a metal gate normally secured with a lock was left untethered. "I don't know how I could stand to see another thing like that happen, and I just want to make sure we do whatever we can to avoid, to save another life. Nakajjigo was involved in countless philanthropic endeavors. 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. Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. 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, Nakijjijo, originally from Uganda, "was a world-renowned activist, movie and TV star as well as a youth influencer," the claim says. Nakajjigo was born in Kampala, Uganda, and used her university tuition money to start a nonprofit community health care center when she was 17, providing free reproductive health services to girls and young women, according to a biography included in the claim. He didn't know Nakajjigo had a massive following in her native Uganda. All rights reserved. Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. 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 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 In the courts ruling, Judge Jenkins awarded $9.5 million to Nakajjigos husband, $700,000 to her mother, and $350,000 to her father. Arches National Park is best known for its pristine sandstone arches and its massive red Delicate Arch, which has featured in countless Instagram photos.. On October 22, Michaud filed a wrongful death claim against He is seeking a little more than $240 million in damages, while Nakajjigos parents are seeking $30 million. The trial over a wrong death lawsuit of a Ugandan activist has begun. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. Provided by Fox News Flash top headlines for December 6. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. WebThis incident happened June 13 just before 2 p.m. as the couple were leaving the park, according to the claim. Both of Nakijjijo's parents, who listed their addresses as Kamapala, Uganda, have also filed wrongful death claims. Suspect arrested after 6 stabbed in downtown L.A. 3 arrested for nearly $1 million in stolen student, Carjacking suspect shot in wild chase in L.A. County, Newport Beach home dangling after cliffside collapse, Over $38M stolen from low-income SoCal families, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In the fatal incident, a gust of wind apparently dislodged it and sent it smashing into the passenger side of the couples rented car. Michaud's filing clears the path for a full lawsuit, which is expected to be served within the coming months. He noted she had recently worked as a host at a restaurant around the time of her death and didn't have a Bachelor's degree. Music, radio and podcasts, all free. 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.