Claim says gate penetrated car of a Denver man and his new wife during a strong windstorm at Utahs Arches National Park. 2 injured, including officer, in Aurora crash, 2 hurt, including officer, in rollover crash, Documentary featuring local family coping with loss after suicide aims to open up conversations, 77 inches of snow fall at Colorado ski area in 9 days, Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Drexel University, Luff Peace Fellowship at Watson Institute, Search of Aurora house in case of missing teen Lashaya Stine continues, Head brewer at Denver Beer Co. dies in climbing accident. She moved to Boulder, Colorado, to attend the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Chief Ranger Scott Brown said a 65-year-old man and 60-year-old woman died after falling into the bowl area near Delicate Arch. 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WebThey said claims by the family's lawyers that Nakajjigo, who was 25 at the time of her death, was on track to be a nonprofit CEO shortly were too speculative to be used as a basis for 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. The trial over a wrong death lawsuit of a Ugandan activist has begun. The most important thing for me is to try continuing what shes done, Michaud said. "We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. 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. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Read more about Traffic and Travel Tips. She'd come to Colorado to learn how to bolster her business acumen at the Watson Institute in Boulder. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. Her family is filing a $270 million wrongful death claim against the park, saying her death was preventable. "Despite this fact, the NPS has done nothing to ensure the safety of its visitors and guests.". All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I'm still struggling with that," Michaud said. RELATED: Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. WebThe 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. WebThe photo in this video of the arch is Corona Arch and I dont its in Archs national park. The Grand County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident. 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 You may experience delays during the busy season between March and October and on holiday weekends. They were married in March 2020 and headed to Arches on a belated honeymoon as soon as the park reopened from its coronavirus shutdown. Family photo. WebThe family of a young woman who was killed by a swinging gate at Arches National Park has sued the park service over her death. / CBS Colorado. "I had a ton of flashbacks. 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. NEW YORK POLICE SERGEANT FATALLY STRUCK IN WRONG-WAY CRASH. 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 through the side of their car like a hot knife through butter, according to the administrative claim, which was filed in October. NBC reported that he was flown to Moab Regional Hospital. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, tragically died on June 13 after a metal gate swung into the car she and her 26-year-old husband Ludovic Michaud were driving as they exited the parking lot of the Utah landmark. We just dont want this to ever happen again, Michaud said in an interview Thursday. Nakajjigo, who grew up in Uganda, had been recognized since she was a teenager for her work promoting health services and education for young women and girls. "The National Park Service has, in face, known for decades that an unsecured metal pipe gate creates an undetectable hazard and dangerous conditions," says the claim. The couple was on their way to get ice cream when "the end of the lance-like gate pierced the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter," according to the claim, which was obtained by NBC News. 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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, Chang wrote in the claim. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. She was best known for a reality show in Uganda that reached millions of viewers. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Park staff told investigators that the gates own weight usually kept it in place, according to a report from the Grand County sheriffs office. Michaud is asking for more than $220 million in damages for wrongful death, and $20 million in damages for personal injury. On the edge of the park, a metal gate normally secured with a lock was left untethered. 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 Ryan studied neuroscience and has spent the last several years working as an operations manager in transportation logistics. Instead, the familys civil lawsuit largely focused on the amount of damages merited. The National parks Service didn't respond to a request for comment on the claim from The Sun. While growing up in Uganda, Nakajjigo used her college tuition funds to open up a nonprofit community education center in her home country. Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo Michaud, 27, were driving out of the park during a camping trip on June 13 when strong winds blew the metal gate into the side of their car and penetrated it like a hot knife through butter, according to the administrative claim, which was filed in October. 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. 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. WebEsther 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 park which has over 2000 arches that 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. No An official form of the United States government. According to the claim, 25-year-old Esther Nakajjigo was decapitated while sitting in the passenger seat of a car that was exiting Arches National Park. 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. 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. Legal Statement. According to CBS News, neither the U.S. government nor the Nakajjigo family disputed the facts of the claim. Several dozen per day. "It could have happened to anyone and if nothing is done, it's going to happen again," he said. We take pride in exposing the hypocrisy of corporations, other organizations, and individuals whose actions put innocent people in harms way. Fox News Flash top headlines for December 6. just as COVID-19 was starting to make U.S. headlines, Do not sell or share my personal information. The claim argues that an $8 padlock or proper maintenance would have prevented the death. 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. The National Park Service did not respond to an email seeking comment, and the media relations voicemail inbox was full and could not accept messages. "She really loved the Denver vibe and so do I. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Michaud's filing clears the path for a full lawsuit, which is expected to be served within the coming months.
