Nakajjigo was decapitated after wind swung an untethered metal gate into her . Ms McGinn described Nakajjigo as a prominent womens rights activist who rose from poverty to become the host of a solutions-oriented reality television series in Uganda focused on empowering women around issues such as education and healthcare. "We want you to know, on behalf of the United States, this accident and Essie's death was the responsibility of the United States," Nelson told Michaud. Esther Nakajjigo had been visiting Utah's Arches National Park when she was killed by a gate caught in the wind. Michaud, Nakajjigo's husband, spoke about the intense trauma he's endured since his wife's death, including sleeplessness, nightmares and suicidal ideation. The gate had been left unlatched against federal policy for two weeks prior to the tragic accident in June 2020. One series reportedly had a weekly audience of 6.3 million viewers. 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.. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. 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. The family of a womens 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. In his ten-page verdict, U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins said the government admitted fault and apologized for Nakajjigos death. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. 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. 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US attorneys have said this claim was too speculative to be used as a basis for damages. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Elizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News who focuses on health and mental health, particularly issues that affect women and children. All rights reserved. Courtesy Ludovic Michaud Nakajjigo. 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. John Ssenkindu, Esther's brother, told journalists that her sister was hit by a metallic gate of the Arches National Park in the US . In the opening statements of the wrongful death lawsuit, attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigos family recounted the moment Michaud realised his wife had been killed. Donate to the newsroom now. She added that the plaintiffs' assumption that Nakajjigo would have taken a salary "far in excess" of most nonprofit CEOs is "simply contrary to everything the court has heard about her," Berndt said. The end of that trial came Monday, but a verdict is still pending. "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. "This act of selflessness went viral throughout Uganda, and she was featured in numerous magazines and news publications. All rights reserved. Nakajjigos remains were flown back to Uganda in August. But when she met Michaud in June 2019 in Aurora, Colorado, through a dating app, he just saw her as a smart person who loved to laugh. They were driving toward the exit when suddenly a gust of wind lifted a metal gate and the arm swung into the roadway. "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. What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. The same year, Nakajjigo was named Ugandas ambassador for women and girls. Ms Chang described the part of the gate that struck Ms Nakajjigo as being like a metal spear or a lance and hit the car in literally a split second. Continuing her work brings him hope; he's already started a nonprofit in her name, the Esther Nakajjigo Foundation. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. (Julie Jacobson | AP file photo) A Denver man has filed a $270 million wrongful death claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, against the National Park Service after a metal gate at Arches National Park collided collided with his car on June 13, killing his wife. The U.S. government has admitted responsibility for Nakajjigos death and for the emotional distress inflicted upon her husband, an attorney for the plaintiffs said. But on Friday, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson tried to give Michaud some peace of mind. FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Nelson, the governments attorney, has said an appropriate award would be $3.5million (2.9m). "On behalf of the United States, we again extend our condolences to Ms. Nakajjigos friends, family and beloved community. Opening arguments began Monday in Salt Lake City in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of a 25-year-old women's rights activist from Uganda who was killed by a wind-blown gate during a camping trip to Arches National Park in June 2020. I didnt know who she was at first, Michaud, 26, told NBC News in his first interview since Nakajjigos death. Instead, the Utah park became the site of a horrific accident that killed her. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Esther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah in the hours before a gate swung into the couple's car, killing Nakajjigo. As recreation areas in eastern Utah reopened that summer, Michaud was excited to take his new wife to Arches National Park, and the two drove there in June. When she was 17, she donated her university tuition money to start a private, nonprofit community health center that she named the Princess Diana Health Centre. It feels lonely, and thats hard. 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. There have been gate accidents across the country, including another one on federal government property in 1980 in which a camper in California was impaled by a U.S. Forest Service road closure gate. Newlyweds Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud visited the park in mid June. "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 Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were vacationing in eastern Utah, visiting the regions national parks months after their wedding. Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do, Can't take statins? 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. Ludovic 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 passenger door of. 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. Michaud's wife, Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was a celebrated human rights activist in her home country of Uganda. I felt completely meaningless after losing Nakajjigo, he said. 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. 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. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, was on a trip to the Utah park with her . Berndt said her team in no way believes Nakajjigo was an average person, and that using reliable data to estimate her lost earnings isn't a value judgment of Nakajjigo. Nakajjigo received numerous international accolades and awards and 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, Colorado, where she was the recipient of a Luff Peace Fellowship. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Her mother flew to Utah from Uganda to attend the trial this week. 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.. 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. 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.