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 The Associated Press 2:50 PM MST on Jan 31, 2023 SALT LAKE CITY The United States will pay family members of a Ugandan human rights activist killed in an accident at Arches National Park more than $10 million in damages, a Many of these incidents could be avoided with visitors planning and making responsible decisions. WebArches National Park and Death Valley National Park are both home to a variety of unique and diverse wildlife. Death Valley National Park - 366 miles. Opening statements previewed how the trial will hinge less on varying accounts of the accident and instead focus on Nakajiigo's biography and earning potential, which is used to calculate a portion of the damages. She joined the paper in 2019 and previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. Things to do in Zion. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Arches National Park in 2020. Other covers in the series include Arches, Death Valley, Denali, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Photo courtesy Grand County Sheriff's Office. The family Essie Nakajjigo, an activist who died in Arches National Park in 2020, is preparing to head to trial for a wrongful death lawsuit. In June, the couple needed a break from quarantine, so they drove to Utah. WebGRAND COUNTY, Utah A trial is underway after a woman was decapitated at Arches National Park. Yosemite, and Death Valley. In other words, he added, theres no liability for ordinary negligence. Essie's father John Bocso Kateregga will receive $350,000. See details. "It could have happened to the people in front of us, or behind us," he said. Attorneys for Michaud and Nakajjigos family gave their opening arguments when the civil trial began Monday. Gabby Petito's Parents File $50 Million Lawsuit Against Utah Police Over Her Death, Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino and Lauren Sorrentino's Relationship Timeline, Utah Babysitter Claimed Infant Stopped Breathing in Crib. If you have a story idea or tip for the FOX 13 Investigative unit, please share it with us below: Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. During the trial, a U.S. attorney representing the government said, "The United States was 100 percent at fault. In opening statements Monday in Salt Lake City, attorneys representing Michaud and Nakajjigo's family said they were seeking $140 million in damages from the government. Nominate Someone for a FOX 13 Dream Team Surprise! "On behalf of the United States, we again extend our condolences to Ms. Nakajjigo's friends, family and beloved community.". In a statement to the newspaper, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah Trina Higgins, said Nakajjigo's family was entitled to damages. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. Bryce Canyon National Park - 188 miles. We've received your submission. Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. The newlyweds were on their drive out with Nakajjigo in the passenger seat when a strong wind pushed the park's entrance gate into the road, and sliced through their rental car "like a hot knife through butter," the claim said, according to the AP. She could lift mountains, basically, in her own way. For more on the parks HEAT KILLS safety program, see our full Arches National Park Safety breakdown here. Two California visitors fell to their deaths while hiking to the Delicate Arch sandstone formation in Arches National Park. The trail up to Delicate Arch has reopened for use. Arches park rangers respond to hundreds of search and rescue incidents (SARs) each year in both Arches and Canyonlands. After moving to Colorado, Nakajjigo met her husband hed moved to the area from France and the pair married in March, just as the coronavirus pandemic began to make news. DENVER -- Ludovic Michaud has notified the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service that he intends to file a wrongful death lawsuit because of a crash at the entrance to Arches National Park that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Esther Nakajjigo. A widow and his wifes family are seeking $140 million in damages from the U.S. government more than two years after a woman was killed in aUtah national park. Unseasonably warm temperatures can take hold of the desert any time of year. On Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his parents' home in Florida alone. An investigation is underway and an analysis is expected from the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner to determine more details. 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First responders arrived on the scene and performed CPR before the man was pronounced dead. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. Zoe Littlepage, a lead attorney on the case, told The Salt Lake Tribune, that "on behalf of the family, we are very appreciative of the judge's attention to detail, the time he spent working on this, and for the value he put on the loss to this family of Essie.". In order to stay healthy in this climate, it is best toavoid hiking in the middle of the day in Arches. Liability is the exception rather than the rule, Kozlowski said. RELATED: Utah teen dies after falling 150 feet while climbing near cliff, police say. Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution. SALT LAKE CITY The family of human rights activist Esther Nakajjigo, who was decapitated in an accident in Arches National Park, has sued the National Park In fact it is the hottest and driest place on earth period. When you are there, you cant help feel that it should be included among the greats. The family of a women's rights activist from Uganda sued the National Park Service in June 2021 after she was decapitated the previous year by a gate at Utah's Arches National Petito was found deceased in Wyoming on September 19, 2021, at the Grand Teton National Park. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. Alongside theNational Park Service, Outsider wants visit to be safe, memorable, enjoyable, and above all: safe. According to the Grand County Sheriffs Department, the 71-year-old from Massachusetts was out hiking with his wife and son when the tragic incident occurred. Another one of Utahs stunning national parks is Arches National Park. United Statesattorneys do not dispute that park officials shouldered the blame but argued the amount the family should be awarded is far less at $3.5 million and called into question the ways in which the damages being sought were calculated. 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.". By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. She was one in a billion, Your Honor, attorney Randi McGinn told the judge, according to FOX 13 Salt Lake City. 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. Death Valley National Park in California might be one of the most underrated parks in the country. She was also the brains behind two reality TV shows that aimed to empower young mothers and encourage girls to stay in school. Here are our favorites. To plan the safest and most enjoyable Arches trip, see our full overview of the national park here. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. While most people have heard of Yosemite and Joshua "Paid $20 to get in. That unique landscape at Badwater Basin occurs because of its distance below sea level at -282 ft. "The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Uganda's 'Young Personality of the Year,'" the Denver Post reported. "I've always wanted to meet him, though not in this way," he said. The family Essie Nakajjigo, an activist who died in Arches National Park in 2020, is preparing to head to trial for a wrongful death lawsuit. A third man who fell was airlifted to a local hospital in Moab. A federal judge awarded more than $10 million to the family of a Ugandan human rights activist who was decapitated while on a visit to Arches National Park in 2020. "Our sympathies go out to Esther Nakajjigo's family, friends and those whose lives she impacted," Public Affairs specialist Vanessa Lacayo said in a statement. Trial begins over death of Ugandan woman killed at Arches National Park. Esther "Essie" Nakajjigo's husband Ludovic Michaud will receive $9.5 million while her mother Christine Namagembe will receive $700,000, according to the judgment filed in federal court. "She was the woman I was trying to spend my life with," said the Parisian who'd moved to the U.S. "Everything was perfect.". But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. Crater Lake National Park. Nakajjigo accomplished more by age 25 than most people do in a lifetime. He said he didn't deny Nakajjigo was an extraordinary person, but argued it was difficult to speculate what kind of work she would have gone on to do. "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good," the claim said. Below, youll find general hiking safety for the park that greatly increases the safety of your trip: In all national parks, the buddy system will always be the best way to ensure a safe visit. In Sequoia National Park, the highlight is seeing the massive redwood trees, some of which may be up to 2,000 Death Valley National Park in California might be one of the most underrated parks in the country. Petito was found deceased in Wyoming on September 19, 2021, at the Grand Teton National Park. His body was transferred to the Grand County Medical Examiners Office. WebDeath Valley is known for its austere, barren, Mars-like terrain, but for a few weeks in the spring, this desolate National Park transforms into a colorful wildflower-studded garden. Her case was labeled a homicide, with Laundrie being the sole suspect. Liability, if any, would have to be based on proof of willful wanton misconduct, sometimes referred to as gross negligence.. "We respect the judge's decision and hope this award will help her loved ones as they continue to heal for this tragedy," the statement read. Out in this vast, challenging desert, location and rescue can take hours even days. The Associated Press contributed to this report. They 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 damages. The 46-foot-tall Delicate Arch is the largest free-standing arch and the most widely known of the 2,000 arches in the park, which draws more than 1.5 million visitors per year. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The area around Delicate Arch was temporarily closed off after the tragedy, but reopened later Friday. Nakajjigo gained national notoriety in Uganda and created a reality TV show that helped child mothers stay in school and develop life skills, according to the claim. Users on Facebook offered their condolences, with one saying she hopes the nearby town of Moab will gather round the family of the deceased to support them. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. Additionally, The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner will analyze the mans body due to the sudden, unexpected and unknown manner of his death, local 2KUTV reports. A hike through scenic Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, turned deadly for one man on Friday after he collapsed and became unresponsive on the trail. She said entrance gates should be locked into place whether they are open or closed. "I don't want anyone or any other family to go through what we've been through," Michaud told CBS affiliate KUTV. According to park officials, staff located the deceased female in the Devils Garden Area around 6:45 p.m. Paramore apologizes to Canyonlands National Park - 339 miles. WebEstimated Distance from nearby National Park. Nakajjigo's husband and parents filed a $270 million administrative claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death. 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. A Torrance couple died and their adult son was injured after the family of three plummeted down a 100-foot slope in Arches National Park in Utah on Friday, Nov. 29, officials said. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. He ultimately took his own life at a nearby environmental park. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most do in a lifetime. This story has been shared 167,214 times. Nakajjigo's younger brother John, who traveled from Uganda to the U.S. to be at the trial, told KUTV that life without his sister has been extremely tough, but he is grateful for the opportunity to be at the trial and also meet Nakajjigo's husband for the first time. The couple hiked to Delicate Arch and ate lunch in the Windows area before starting their drive out of the park. Esther Nakajjigo, whod moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder, was killed instantly. Zion National Park - 196 miles. Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park. Laundrie reportedly confessed to killing Petito in a notebook found near his partial remains. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park. The suit was filed last week in federal court in Denver by the widower and parents of Nakajjigo. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. Stay safe out there, Outsiders. 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 "Essie" Nakajjigo. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations, CBS Colorado reported. WebFactors that make Arches National Park sensitive to visitor damage include being a semiarid region, the scarce, unpredictable rainfall, lack of deep freezing, and lack of plant litter, which results in soils that have both a low resistance to and slow recovery from, compressional forces such as foot traffic. We asked the Park Service about the swing gates and were told that both sides are now padlocked when in the "open" position. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries.