Nakajjigo's husband and parents filed a $270 million administrative claim against the National Park Service in 2021 over her death. Laundrie reportedly confessed to killing Petito in a notebook found near his partial remains. 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. While most people have heard of Yosemite and Joshua Tree, this California park doesnt get enough recognition for its beauty. 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. It has that national park feel. 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 Michaud and Nakajjigo had been married for just under three months when they decided to go see the Arches. Liability is the exception rather than the rule, Kozlowski said. Shes been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice. Death Valley National Park is the hottest and driest national park on earth. Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park. She served as an ambassador for women and girls in her native Uganda, and created a reality TV show to combat early pregnancy and forced marriage. Canyonlands National Park Jan. 31, 2023 Plan completed on October 18, 2022 9. Doesn't look anything like the license plate." A third Californian, a 30-year-old man, also fell and was injured. But on June 13, she and her husband needed a break from quarantine and headed toward Arches National Park in Utah. 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 Service. Thanks for contacting us. WebArches National Park has a busy search and rescue operation. Rebel Wilson says she was banned from Disneyland over a selfie. 1 / 9. 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.". The couple hiked to Delicate Arch and ate lunch in the Windows area before starting their drive out of the park. Staying with companions while hiking allows for emergency aid contact, as was the case in this mans tragic death. Park rangers said the incident happened Friday when the 71-year-old man from Massachusetts was with his wife and son. 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. Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, House where JonBent Ramsey was found dead on sale for nearly $7 million. 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. Find the travel option that best suits you. A man has died after collapsing to the ground while hiking in Arches National Park. There, an investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service and Grand County. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. 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. The mans identity is private as the investigation continues. I dont want this incident to reproduce itself ever again.. Without warning, a gust of wind apparently dislodged the arm of the metal gate, which swung into the cars path. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Apparently when Disneyland says no selfies, they mean it - even if you're a celebrity! Sadly, deaths are not uncommon in the park. 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. RELATED: Utah teen dies after falling 150 feet while climbing near cliff, police say. McGinn said if her life hadn't been cut short that Nakajjigo's trajectory suggested she would have gone on to become a nonprofit CEO who could eventually have netted an annual income in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions. She also said it should have been installed to swing inwards for incoming traffic, not outwards. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Essie's father John Bocso Kateregga will receive $350,000. 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. The suit does not specify the amount the plaintiffs are seeking, though it accuses park staff of negligence. Photo provided by Ludovic Michaud Esther Nakajjigo, a Ugandan human rights activist, was killed in Arches National Park in Utah on June 13, 2020. "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. In October, Nakajjigos husband, Ludovic Michaud, and her parents filed a $270 million wrongful death claim a precursor to a formal lawsuit against the park, alleging that the gate should have been secured to prevent it from swinging into the road. Rangers warned visitors in a tweet to proceed with caution. Its a 3-mile-long, 480-foot climb from the closest parking to see the arch up close. 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. Of the accidents aftermath, Michaud told FOX 13: I saw the worst thing I hope I will ever see.. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. First published on December 6, 2022 / 9:23 AM. 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. What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. "Delicate arch looks like it might fall over at any time. 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 UT; National Park; 23 miles and 0.5 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay. The complaint also describes how Michaud had to witness the grisly scene. She reportedly moved to Colorado for a social entrepreneurship program at the Watson Institute in Boulder. WebHet Arches National Park is een klein nationaal park bij Moab in het oosten van de Amerikaanse staat Utah.Er zijn diverse wandelingen (trails) in het park.Ook is er een bezoekerscentrum. (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. Arches National Park is open 24 hours a day year-round, regardless of the weather. We've received your submission. Thursday, July 24, 2003 - 5:30am by Lolo. The metal pole forming the top of the gate pierced the passenger side of the car and struck Nakajjigo in the head and neck. For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good, the claim said. Deputies of the Grand County Sheriff's Office reported that a 71 year old The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. Alongside theNational Park Service, Outsider wants visit to be safe, memorable, enjoyable, and above all: safe. A man has died after collapsing to the ground while hiking in Arches National Park. Two tourists fell to their death while hiking in a popular area of Utahs Arches National Park on Friday, authorities said. 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. "For want of an $8 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good," the claim said. 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. They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June, eager for an adventure. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages In a statement to the newspaper, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah Trina Higgins, said Nakajjigo's family was entitled to damages. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. The area around Delicate Arch was temporarily closed off after the tragedy, but reopened later Friday. The gate reportedly smashed through the side of the car and struck Nakajjigo in the neck, killing her. Its known for a series of sculpture-like fins and arches made of an orange sandstone that wind and water have eroded for centuries. The victim was transported to the Grand County Medical Examiners Office to determine a cause of death. Here are our favorites. 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. 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. "I'm trying to be a star, to be able to lighten the lives of the people who feel it's dark," she said. A hike through scenic Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, turned deadly for one man on Friday after he collapsed Nakajjigo was a performer who used her celebrity to improve the status of women and girls in Uganda. A family hike in Arches National Park ended in tragedy as a Massachusetts father collapsed while exploring with his wife and son. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Delicate Arch is one of the three main arches featured on Utah license plates. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Tuxedo cat named Augustus Gloop is up for adoption, Utah BASE jumper slams into side of mountain. Nakajjigo worked on fundraising to open a hospital in an underserved part of Kampala, Uganda's capital, became a philanthropic celebrity and immigrated to the United States for a fellowship at the Boulder, Colorado-based Watson Institute for emerging leaders. Many have said that Dead Horse Point State Park has been overlooked by the National Park Service. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue, and in 2020 she was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for an investigation into child sexual abuse among Amish and Mennonite communities. During the trial, a U.S. attorney representing the government said, "The United States was 100 percent at fault. (Photo by: Andrew Lloyd/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). 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. A family hike in Arches National Park ended in tragedy as a Massachusetts father collapsed while exploring with his wife and son. A family hike in Arches National Park ended in tragedy as a Massachusetts father collapsed while exploring with his wife and son. She could lift mountains, basically, in her own way. 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 She said entrance gates should be locked into place whether they are open or closed. 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. This story has been shared 152,729 times. 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. The judge is expected to issue his ruling in the coming weeks. "Essie was a remarkable humanitarian and champion for women and girls. 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. At this time, I do not have more information to share.". Nakajjigos family will have to show her death was caused by more than negligence, said James C. Kozlowski, an associate professor of recreation management at George Mason University who studies legal issues in the outdoor industry. On Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his parents' home in Florida alone. 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 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. A National Park Service spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday. A man has died after collapsing to the ground while hiking in Arches National Park. In order to stay healthy in this climate, it is best toavoid hiking in the middle of the day in Arches. The weather was inclement and conditions were slippery following rain and snow. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Arches National Park. Our thoughts and condolences are with Nakajjigos friends and families. "It could have happened to the people in front of us, or behind us," he said. 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. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Arches National Park in 2020. "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.". 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.". WebHere are some of the highlights of my countless trips to the three National Parks (Banff, Jasper and Yoho) in the Canadian Rockies. 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. In other words, he added, theres no liability for ordinary negligence. 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.. Please enter valid email address to continue. Fourteen people died in North Cascades in those 15 years, when an average of just over 25,000 We are grateful that Judge Jenkins honored Essie's life and legacy with this award," Littlepage said in a statement to PEOPLE. The couple had been married about three months. In Sequoia National Park, the highlight is seeing the massive redwood trees, some of which may be up to 2,000 Esther This red-rock wonderland will amaze you with its "I went from the best time of my life to the worst, in one second," he said. 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. 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. Heat-related Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. The park had 3.7 deaths for every 100,000 visitors from 2007 to 2021, more than three times the rate of the next-deadliest site, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations, CBS Colorado reported. Denver7 reached out to he National Park Service to ask about the accident. On February 24, park witnesses saw the 71-year-old male collapsing to the ground and becomingunresponsive, Arches (ARCH) officials report. WebArches National Park and Death Valley National Park are both home to a variety of unique and diverse wildlife. Luca Galuzzi via Wikimedia Commons. In November, Petito's family filed $50 million lawsuit against the Moab Police Department You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. 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 Always check the weather before visiting Arches. An investigation is underway and an analysis is expected from the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner to determine more details. Many of these incidents could be avoided with visitors planning and making responsible decisions. 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Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab, Utah. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. Her case was labeled a homicide, with Laundrie being the sole suspect. That afternoon, emergency personnel would respond from Classic Air Medical, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management,and Grand County. 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 What will ending the COVID-19 emergency look like in the US? 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 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. It wasnt immediately clear why the three fell. 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.