arches national park gate death video

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. Provided by Both of Nakijjijo's parents, who listed their addresses as Kamapala, Uganda, have also filed wrongful death claims. 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. On June 13, they had gone on a hike and had a picnic. 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. The National Park Service and Arches National Park are accused of not securing the gate, which was installed to swing in the wrong direction and was being held open by a flimsy metal tab that was worn down and rounded, according to the claim. This story has been updated to correct Michauds age. The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state our community can better understand itself. "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," the claim says. Michaud's filing clears the path for a full lawsuit, which is expected to be served within the coming months. WebEsther Nakajjigo and Ludovic Michaud at Arches National Park in eastern Utah. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. The couple had traveled to Arches in celebration of their one-year anniversary of meeting. National Park The park was at capacity and it was just after 8 a.m. National parks want to Her husband, Ludovic Michaud, and her parents in October filed a $270 million wrongful-death claim a precursor to the formal lawsuit alleging that the gate should have been secured to prevent it from swinging into the road. 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 RELATED: Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. Market data provided by Factset. 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. As they entered, high winds blew the park entrance gate a swinging pole back across the highway. 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. "It could have happened to anyone and if nothing is done, it's going to happen again," he said. We just dont want this to ever happen again, Michaud said in an interview Thursday. You may experience delays during the busy season between March and October and on holiday weekends. NEW YORK POLICE SERGEANT FATALLY STRUCK IN WRONG-WAY CRASH. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. future Oprah or Princess Diana Arches National Park: 2 people die after falling while hiking - USA "The NPS have a duty to reasonably inspect, operate, and maintain these gates and guard against foreseeable dangers," the claims says. Widower Struggles With Loss After Wife Decapitated By Gate In In the courts ruling, Judge Jenkins awarded $9.5 million to Nakajjigos husband, $700,000 to her mother, and $350,000 to her father. death Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. She was living in Boulder, Colorado, and attending the Watson Institute, a program for young entrepreneurs and innovators, when she met Michaud. 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. 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. 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. I'm still struggling with that," Michaud said. Chang said she plans to file a formal lawsuit if the claim is rejected. Ludovic Michaud and Essie Nakajjigo (credit: Ludovic Michaud), Denver Woman Decapitated By Gate: Family Files $270M Wrongful Death Claim Against Arches National Park. Family photo. Nakajjigo was involved in countless philanthropic endeavors. Image via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr/user: Brian Turner. "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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. / CBS Colorado. According to the family's claim, three other people have died from similar accidents with unsecured gates over the past 32 years. Trial begins for woman decapitated at Arches National Park Esther While growing up in Uganda, Nakajjigo used her college tuition funds to open up a nonprofit community education center in her home country. The National parks Service didn't respond to a request for comment on the claim from The Sun. 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. Last updated: August 16, 2022 Was this page helpful? Please enter valid email address to continue. NPS faces wrongful death claim after newlywed decapitated by 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. 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. The National Park Service and Arches National Park are accused of not securing the gate, which was installed to swing in the wrong direction and was being held open by a flimsy metal tab that was worn down and rounded, according to the claim. Trial to begin for human rights activist killed by gate in Arches 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. 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. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution," the tweet said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Arches National Park More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? or redistributed. 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.". Shelly Bradbury is a breaking news reporter who joined The Denver Post in November 2019. Arches National Park, notes CBS News, had just re-opened recreation following a decrease in coronavirus cases. Claim says gate penetrated car of a Denver man and his new wife during a strong windstorm at Utahs Arches National Park. The pair married in March of this year. The lawsuit, adds CBS, observed that the activists death could have been prevented if Arches National Park had simply purchased an $8 padlock for the unsecured gate. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Family of Ugandan philanthropist decapitated by traffic gate in 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. 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. Shes got quite a few projects started, and we need to make sure those projects survive after her. No An official form of the United States government. FOX 13 Investigates: Grisly decapitation of ambassador at Arches Activist, 25, hailed as future Oprah or Princess Diana is Arches National Park is best known for its 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. Around 2 p.m., they were driving to get ice cream in the town of Moab when the gate swung into their path. 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. The newlyweds were driving during a camping trip on June 13, when a strong gust of wind blew an unsecured metal gate that sliced through the side of their car and decapitated Nakajjigo. Its near it but not there. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. 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. I think thats what they meant to show but I could be wrong In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. Instead, the familys civil lawsuit largely focused on the amount of damages merited. 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. Webcams 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. The three people involved were related, Brown said. One of the Denver couple's stops was Arches National Park near Moab. It's likely the first step in a lengthy federal lawsuit. gate For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the lawsuit said. "We dont know with any level of certainty what her plans were," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. DENVER (CBS4) - The family of a woman killed while visiting Arches National Park is hoping they can change the dangerous conditions that lead to her death and continue the philanthropy she inspired around the globe. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Newlyweds Esther Essie Nakajjigo, 25, and Ludovic Ludo Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com Denver newlyweds trip to Arches National Park ends with wifes Two peopledied Friday while hikinginArches National Park in Utah. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. She received numerous other humanitarian awards and created a popular reality television series aimed at empowering young mothers. "The woman I loved and I saw her for just her.". 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.