Example video title will go here for this video. 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. A gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung across the roadway. 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. Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. That same year, she was awarded the Woman Achiever Award from the United Nations Population Fund. Nakajjigo and her husband, Ludovic Michaud, were on vacation in eastern Utah, visiting national parks across the region several months after their wedding. 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 The most famous arch is the Delicate Arch which Is in Archs National Park. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. However, she eventually became the host of a solutions-oriented reality television series in Uganda, which emphasized womens empowerment, educational attainment, and equitable access to health care. The United Nations Population Fund gave her a Woman Achiever Award when she was 17, and she was named Ugandas Ambassador for Women and Girls at the ceremony. Music, radio and podcasts, all free. 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. She received numerous other humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. Her family is filing a $270 million wrongful death claim against the park, saying her death was preventable. 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. She was decapitated. We take pride in exposing the hypocrisy of corporations, other organizations, and individuals whose actions put innocent people in harms way. "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. 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. No An official form of the United States government. Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution," the tweet said. WebThe photo in this video of the arch is Corona Arch and I dont its in Archs national park. 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. WebMOAB, Utah Ludo Michaud heard a loud noise. This story has been updated to correct Michauds age. "I had a ton of flashbacks. All rights reserved. "How do you measure someone like her? Her family is filing a $270 million wrongful death claim against the park, saying her death was preventable. 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. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. 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"The end of the gate impaled the car like a lance, and literally beheaded his newly-wed bride right in front of him.". Michaud and Nakajjigo met over a dating app while they both had recently arrived in the Denver area. For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the lawsuit said. "I'm still trying to figure out how to move forward, how to wake up in the morning. Nakajjigo, adds CBS, had grown up in poverty. Nakijjijo, originally from Uganda, "was a world-renowned activist, movie and TV star as well as a youth influencer," the claim says. RELATED: Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. A gavel. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. "The woman I loved and I saw her for just her.". NBC reported that he was flown to Moab Regional Hospital. 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. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Bay Area weather: After thunderstorms and hail, snow could be on the way this weekend, Family sues after newlywed is killed by swinging gate at Arches National Park, 1 killed when business jet encounters severe turbulence, Bay Area honeymooners say snorkel boat abandoned them off Maui coast, At least 26 killed in fiery train crash in Greece, If it was your child, when would you give up? Mother searches for 5-year-old son swept away in January floods, Online fundraiser emerges for Brentwood father who died while kayaking. You may experience delays during the busy season between March and October and on holiday weekends. We just dont want this to ever happen again, Michaud said in an interview Thursday. 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. 2 min read June 17, 2021 - 6:27AM Esther 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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 gate barely missed Michaud. ", The widower described his late wife as someone who was "always willing to help.". Please enter valid email address to continue. She described Nakajjigo as a prominent women's rights activist who rose from poverty to become the host of a solutions-oriented reality television series in Uganda focused on empowering women on issues such as education and healthcare. NEW YORK POLICE SERGEANT FATALLY STRUCK IN WRONG-WAY CRASH. 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. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. Ludovic Michaud and Essie Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud), Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. 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. Courtesy At 17, She was named an Ambassador for Uganda's Women girls by nonprofit organization IREX. Nakajjigo, originally from Kampala, Uganda, used her university tuition money to start a nonprofit organization that provided free reproductive health care to girls and young women when she was just 17. 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. Ludovic Michaud says that his wife, 25-year-old Esther Nakajjigo, was decapitated when a metal gate swung into their 2020 Chevy Malibu as they were leaving the park on June 13, 2020, according to the claim. 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. 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. 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. 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. Nakajjigo was offered a full scholarship to the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and started a social entrepreneurship program in early 2019. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. According to CBS News, neither the U.S. government nor the Nakajjigo family disputed the facts of the claim. WebDenver newlyweds trip to Arches National Park ends with wifes death Family awarded $10.5 million for newlywed decapitated by metal gate at Arches National Park in Utah Join the conversation! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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.". 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. The tragic accident is now the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit Michaud and Nakajjigo's family are pursuing, in which they argue that the U.S. Park Service was negligent and did not maintain the gates at the entrances and exits to the parks, leading to Nakajjigo's death.