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. Those experiencing previous health conditions, such as heart disease, are at greater risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, both of which can be deadly. 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. 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 They appeared to be hiking together and may have been related, noted the sheriffs statement. This story has been shared 152,729 times. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I dont want this incident to reproduce itself ever again.. A newlywed Denver couples road trip to Arches National Park in Utah this summer ended in tragedy when a metal gate at the park exit swung open, impaled the couples car and decapitated the woman, a 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist. Liability, if any, would have to be based on proof of willful wanton misconduct, sometimes referred to as gross negligence.. 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. Deputies of the Grand County Sheriff's Office reported that a 71 year old "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good," the claim said. Rep. 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The metal pole forming the top of the gate pierced the passenger side of the car and struck Nakajjigo in the head and neck. Sadly, deaths are not uncommon in the park. We've received your submission. A 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. Ludovic said he knows the suit won't bring his beloved wife back, but he wants to make sure the same type of tragic accident doesn't happen to anyone else. Apparently when Disneyland says no selfies, they mean it - even if you're a celebrity! (KKCO) - The National Park Service announced in a press release that it has identified the body of a woman found in Arches National Park earlier this week. A family hike in Arches National Park ended in tragedy as a Massachusetts father collapsed while exploring with his wife and son. 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. There, an investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service and Grand County. The mild temperatures, stunning desert landscapes, and lack of crowds make it an ideal place for peaceful winter camping. 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. Thanks for contacting us. 165. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. 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. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. "I don't want anyone or any other family to go through what we've been through," Michaud told CBS affiliate KUTV. This incident happened June 13 just before 2 p.m. as the couple were leaving the park, according to the claim. In a statement to the newspaper, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah Trina Higgins, said Nakajjigo's family was entitled to damages. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. The family of a women's rights activist from Uganda has filed a more than $270 million wrongful death claim against the National Park Service. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A family hike in Arches National Park ended in tragedy as a Massachusetts father collapsed while exploring with his wife and son. 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 Nakajjigos death. United States attorneys do not dispute that park officials shouldered blame, but argued the amount the family should be awarded is far less and called into questions the ways in which the damages being sought were calculated. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Nominate Someone for a FOX 13 Dream Team Surprise! Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. WebDeath Valley in Fall; Yosemite in the Fall; Pacific Northwest; Utah Off-Roading; Southern CA Deserts; Yosemite & Covid; Lake Powell Covid; Arches National Park, UT. A third Californian, a 30-year-old man, also fell and was injured. Where is the National Park Visitor Center? Ludovic's attorney, Deborah Chang, told Denver7 the entrance gate should have been locked open, and not allowed to swing freely. 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. An unidentified 60-year-old woman and Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. Het Arches National Park is bekend vanwege de indrukwekkende rotsformaties en balancerende rotsen zoals de Courthouse Towers, Windows Section, ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, Utah - An investigation is underway after a hiker collapsed and later died at Arches National Park in Utah.. Park rangers said the He was airlifted to Moab Regional Hospital. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. That afternoon, emergency personnel would respond from Classic Air Medical, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management,and Grand County. 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. FOX 13 reported earlier this year how Nakajjigo died June 13, 2020, after wind caught a traffic control gate and blew it into the rented Chevy Malibu driven by her husband, Ludo Michaud. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. WebArches National Park has a busy search and rescue operation. 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. "It could have happened to the people in front of us, or behind us," he said. FOX 13 reported earlier this year how Nakajjigo died June 13, 2020. He ultimately took his own life at a nearby environmental park. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. First responders from several agencies, including the National Park Service and the sheriffs department, arrived on the scene and attempted to perform CPR, but they could not prevent the mans untimely death. A 71-year-old visitor from Massachusetts collapsed and died on a family hike at Arches National Park in Utah, the National Park Service reported. Ludovic Michaud and his new wife, Esther Nakajjigo, were driving aroundArches National Parkon a windy spring day in 2020 when a metal gate whipped around, sliced through the passenger door of his car and decapitated Nakajjigo. One area visitor responding to the Facebook post by the sheriff said there were extremely strong winds near the arch. The family is reportedly suing the park for $270 million. Death Valley National Park in California might be one of the most underrated parks in the country. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Unseasonably warm temperatures can take hold of the desert any time of year. Esther Nakajjigo, whod moved to Colorado in 2019 to attend the Watson Institute in Boulder, was killed instantly. The womans family alleges the park was negligent in not locking down the gate that rammed through her car. The others are Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Canyonlands National Park. Esther Nakajjigo, 25, WebArches National Park and Death Valley National Park are both home to a variety of unique and diverse wildlife. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Nakajjigo was a performer who used her celebrity to improve the status of women and girls in Uganda. 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. Heat-related The judge is expected to issue his ruling in the coming weeks. Fourteen people died in North Cascades in those 15 years, when an average of just over 25,000 Please enter valid email address to continue. Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park. A National Park Service spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday. Rebel Wilson says she was banned from Disneyland over a selfie. We asked the Park Service about the swing gates and were told that both sides are now padlocked when in the "open" position. 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. TOLERABLE TEMPS While winter is the best time to visit for cool temps, early spring temperatures range between lows in the 50s and highs in the 90s. 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 Join. It worked. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code, Vast majority of U.S. homes are unaffordable to the average buyer. WebDeath Valley National Park Spring Highlights DESERT WILDFLOWERS Spring in Death Valley can bring stunning wildflower blooms, which are uniquely contrasted against the austere terrain. When you are there, you cant help feel that it should be included among the greats. @ArielleHarrison https://t.co/YoCT50YObz. "I've always wanted to meet him, though not in this way," he said. Nakajjigo accomplished more by age 25 than most people do in a lifetime. 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 The Late 'Rust' Cinematographer's Family, Life and Career, Jen Shah Fraud Case: U.S. Government Requests to Sentence 'RHOSLC' Star to 10 Years in Prison, Gabby Petito's Family Wins $3 Million from Brian Laundrie's Estate In Wrongful Death Suit, Fact-Checking the George Santos Claims: From Goldman Sachs Employee to College 'Volleyball Star', Jen Shah's Victim Impact Letters Detail 'Everyday Struggle' After Fraud Scheme 'Turned Our Lives Upside Down'. She received multiple honors for her humanitarian work and was attending a leadership program in Bolder, Colorado, at the time of her death. On February 24, park witnesses saw the 71-year-old male collapsing to the ground and becoming unresponsive, Arches (ARCH) officials report.That afternoon, emergency personnel would respond from Classic 1 / 9. Arches park rangers respond to hundreds of search and rescue incidents (SARs) each year in both Arches and Canyonlands. Nakajjigo's husband and parents filed a $270 million administrative claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death. A man has died after collapsing to the ground while hiking in Arches National Park. The gate reportedly smashed through the side of the car and struck Nakajjigo in the neck, killing her. Crater Lake National Park. Park staff told investigators the gate was usually left unsecured, and that typically the gates own weight kept it in place, so it was not locked in place by any other means. 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.". 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. Laundrie reportedly confessed to killing Petito in a notebook found near his partial remains. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Arches National Park in 2020. 1. For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the claim said. Photo courtesy Grand County Sheriff's Office. A woman stands beneath Double Arch in Arches National Park near Moab in Utah. As they entered the park on June 13, high winds blew the park entrance gate, a swinging pole, back across the highway. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In November, Petito's family filed $50 million lawsuit against the Moab Police Department They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June, eager for an adventure. Nakajjigo and Michaud spent June 13, 2020, at Arches National Park in Utah as a way to celebrate their one-year anniversary of when they first met, according to the Associated Press. Luca Galuzzi via Wikimedia Commons. It has that national park feel. 2023 FOX Television Stations, Film fanatics headed to Luck ranch for Texas Film Hall of Fame, New street drug 'tranq dope,' rots skin, turns humans into 'zombies', Girl Scouts victim of theft in South Austin; no girls injured, San Marcos police searching for hit-and-run suspect; 61-year-old victim still unable to walk, Man charged in shooting death of Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso ordered held without bond, I didnt realize: Woman mistakenly eats heart-shaped chip that could have won her 100K, Giant bug found at an Arkansas Walmart identified as a Jurassic-era insect, Teen musician Dorian 'ZEV' Kweller remembered as uniquely talented, hard-working, Disneyland banned Rebel Wilson over selfie, actress says, Camila Alves McConaughey on Austin flight that 'dropped almost 4,000 feet'; 7 people reportedly hurt, Austin weather: Warmer temps continue into next week, Another US agency assesses COVID-19 origin likely a Chinese 'lab leak': report, FDA approves combination flu-COVID test for home use, Governor Abbott gives 2023 State of the State Address, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson tests positive for COVID-19. @ArielleHarrison Attorneys for the family of a Ugandan activist killed by a swinging metal gate at Arches National Park in Utah are seeking $140 million in damages in a wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government By SAM METZ Associated Press December 5, 2022, 3:24 PM FILE - Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near 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. On Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his parents' home in Florida alone. Death Valley National Park is the hottest and driest national park on earth. Utah (ABC4) Staff members at Arches National Park recovered a deceased body on Saturday, October 1, 2022. View of the Delicate Arch at sunset in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah on April 21, 2018. Michaud and Nakajjigo had been married for just under three months when they decided to go see the Arches. WebA $270 million wrongful death administrative claim was reportedly filed against Arches National Park after a 25-year-old human rights activist from Uganda was killed at the 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. In other words, he added, theres no liability for ordinary negligence. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. A family hike in Arches National Park ended in tragedy as a Massachusetts father collapsed while exploring with his wife and son. That unique landscape at Badwater Basin occurs because of its distance below sea level at -282 ft. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. WebHere are some of the highlights of my countless trips to the three National Parks (Banff, Jasper and Yoho) in the Canadian Rockies. I really wanted to show her Arches, he said, because I know all the parks around Moab It's one of my favorite places in the U.S., if not my favorite place.. "I turned my head and saw what I wish I didn't see.". The incident will remain under investigation by the Grand County Sheriffs Office as well as the National Park Service, the outlet cites. 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. The victim was transported to the Grand County Medical Examiners Office to determine a cause of death. She could lift mountains, basically, in her own way. His body was transferred to the Grand County Medical Examiners Office. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. WebFurnace Creek Campground Death Valley National Park Winter is the best time of year to camp at Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park. What will ending the COVID-19 emergency look like in the US? Canyonlands National Park Jan. 31, 2023 Plan completed on October 18, 2022 9. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations, CBS Colorado reported. Death Valley National Park - 366 miles. Two tourists fell to their death while hiking in a popular area of Utahs Arches National Park on Friday, authorities said. Death Valley National Park, California-Nevada It's a place of extremes: Death Valley is one of the hottest and driest places on earth, it's also one of the darkest. Attorney: 'For want of an $8 padlock, woman lost life'. Petito was found deceased in Wyoming on September 19, 2021, at the Grand Teton National Park. Then She Was Charged with Murder, Danny Masterson Rape Trial Declared a Mistrial After Jurors Are Unable to Come to Unanimous Verdict, Julie Chrisley Said She Was 'Living in Fear' Ahead of Her and Husband Todd's Sentencing. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. "We don't know with any level of certainty what her plans were," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nelson said. 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. Nakajjigo was Uganda's ambassador for women and girls, and ran a health center in her home country that she set up when she was just 17 years old to provide free health services to adolescents. "On behalf of the United States, we again extend our condolences to Ms. Nakajjigo's friends, family and beloved community.". Michaud and his in-laws previously filed a claim with the National Park Service a step toward filing the lawsuit asking for $270 million. Death Valley National Park Jan. 31, 2023 Plan completed on August 17, 2022 USCA Case #19-1044 Document #1987865 Filed: 02/28/2023 Page 3 of 7 Arches National Park Jan. 31, 2023 Plan completed on October 18, 2022 8. First published on December 6, 2022 / 9:23 AM. This verdict, though the largest by a federal judge in Utah history, cannot replace the immeasurable loss suffered by her husband and family. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. / CBS/AP. Here are our favorites. A video tribute to his wife showed her talking about her name, in an earlier recording. 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. "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. Canyonlands National Park - 339 miles. In Sequoia National Park, the highlight is seeing the massive redwood trees, some of which may be up to 2,000 Without warning, a gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung into the cars path.
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