"It could have happened to the people in front of us, or behind us," he said. 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 at least three other instances since 1988 in which people in cars were fatally impaled by such gates. The others are Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Canyonlands National Park. Photo courtesy Grand County Sheriff's Office. Esther Nakajjigo, a native of Uganda, accomplished more at age 25 than most 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 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. 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Nakajjigo accomplished more by age 25 than most people do in a lifetime. The lawsuit alleges that a simple $8 padlock could have prevented the gate from swinging, and claims the park violated regulations, CBS Colorado reported. DENVER (CBS4) - The family of a Denver woman has filed a $270 million wrongful death claim against Arches National Park after she was killed there over the By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. According to park officials, staff located the deceased female in the Devils Garden Area around 6:45 p.m. Paramore apologizes to Nominate Someone for a FOX 13 Dream Team Surprise! They headed to Arches National Park as soon as the park reopened in June, eager for an adventure. 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. Deputies of the Grand County Sheriff's Office reported that a 71 year old 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. 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. 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. WebThe cheapest way to get from Arches National Park to Death Valley National Park costs only $131, and the quickest way takes just 6 hours. The United States will pay more than $10 million in damages 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. He was airlifted to Moab Regional Hospital. 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. Essie's father John Bocso Kateregga will receive $350,000. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The area around Delicate Arch was temporarily closed off after the tragedy, but reopened later Friday. The suit does not specify the amount the plaintiffs are seeking, though it accuses park staff of negligence. Apparently when Disneyland says no selfies, they mean it - even if you're a celebrity! 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. UT; National Park; 23 miles and 0.5 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay. I guess the great state of Utah wanted to keep it all for herself. This story was reported from Los Angeles. WebArches National Park has a busy search and rescue operation. Liability is the exception rather than the rule, Kozlowski said. Rebel Wilson says she was banned from Disneyland over a selfie. 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. The following month, the medical examiner in Sarasota County determined he died from a single gunshot wound to the head, self-inflicted. Staying with companions while hiking allows for emergency aid contact, as was the case in this mans tragic death. 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. This story has been shared 144,788 times. Unseasonably warm temperatures can take hold of the desert any time of year. Find the travel option that best suits you. That afternoon, emergency personnel would respond from Classic Air Medical, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management,and Grand County. WebHere are some of the highlights of my countless trips to the three National Parks (Banff, Jasper and Yoho) in the Canadian Rockies. 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 A woman stands beneath Double Arch in Arches National Park near Moab in Utah. Arches park rangers respond to hundreds of search and rescue incidents (SARs) each year in both Arches and Canyonlands. She was also the brains behind two reality TV shows that aimed to empower young mothers and encourage girls to stay in school. Travelogue; 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. 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 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 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. 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. 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. Denver7's Lance Hernandez reports. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This story has been shared 167,214 times. 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. (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. 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. We asked the Park Service about the swing gates and were told that both sides are now padlocked when in the "open" position. Arches National Park is a 120-square-mile desert landscape near Moab, Utah, that is visited by more than 1.5 million people annually. 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. RELATED: Utah teen dies after falling 150 feet while climbing near cliff, police say. 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. (Athea Trial Lawyers) Esther Nakajjigo is shown in this undated photo. This red-rock wonderland will amaze you with its 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. 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. 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 A family hike in Arches National Park ended in tragedy as a Massachusetts father collapsed while exploring with his wife and son. Nelson, the government's attorney, said an appropriate award would be $3.5 million, far less than the $140 million being pursued. A man has died after collapsing to the ground while hiking in Arches National Park. Michaud and Nakajjigo had been married for just under three months when they decided to go see the Arches. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. That unique landscape at Badwater Basin occurs because of its distance below sea level at -282 ft. She said there was nothing that visually set them apart. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The trial began Dec. 5 in Utah and was meant to determine how much money was owed to the family, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The show saw an audience of 6.3 million each week, and Nakajjigo was named Ugandas Young Personality of the Year.. 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. Crater Lake National Park. She reportedly moved to Colorado for a social entrepreneurship program at the Watson Institute in Boulder. In June, the couple needed a break from quarantine, so they drove to Utah. Petito was found deceased in Wyoming on September 19, 2021, at the Grand Teton National Park. Higgins did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment. Other covers in the series include Arches, Death Valley, Denali, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, 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 What awaited them there was as awful as it was unthinkable. Sadly, deaths are not uncommon in the park. What will ending the COVID-19 emergency look like in the US? "I turned my head and saw what I wish I didn't see.". Her For more on the parks HEAT KILLS safety program, see our full Arches National Park Safety breakdown here. "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. She had like a tremendous potential, Michaud told the TV station of his late wife. Where is the National Park Visitor Center? 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. She could lift mountains, basically, in her own way. Didn't even get to touch lava." Thursday, July 24, 2003 - 5:30am by Lolo. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Attorney Randi McGinn, representing Nakajjigo's family, on Monday described the death in gruesome detail. The couple hiked to Delicate Arch and ate lunch in the Windows area before starting their drive out of the park. In fact it is the hottest and driest place on earth period. Petito was found deceased in Wyoming on September 19, 2021, at the Grand Teton National Park. 1 / 9. @ArielleHarrison In November, Petito's family filed $50 million lawsuit against the Moab Police Department She was one in a billion, Your Honor, attorney Randi McGinn told the judge, according to FOX 13 Salt Lake City. 1 / 9. The weather was inclement and conditions were slippery following rain and snow. A video tribute to his wife showed her talking about her name, in an earlier recording. 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. She also said it should have been installed to swing inwards for incoming traffic, not outwards. Laundrie reportedly confessed to killing Petito in a notebook found near his partial remains. At this time, I do not have more information to share.". We've received your submission. Always check the weather before visiting Arches. Our thoughts and condolences are with Nakajjigos friends and families. 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. Esther Nakajjigo was killed at Arches National Park in 2020. 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. 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.