A federal judge has ruled that the United States will pay more than $10 million in damages to the family of Esther Nakajjigo after she was killed in an accident in a Utah national park in 2020.
Attorneys representing his family hailed the decision, calling it the largest federal wrongful-death verdict in state history.
“With his verdict, Judge Bruce Jenkins has shown the world how the American justice system works to hold its own government accountable and places great value on all lives, including that of Esther Nakajjigo, a remarkable young woman from Uganda,” said Randi McGinn. , attorney for the family in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
The 25-year-old Ugandan human rights activist and her husband Ludovic Michaud were on vacation just months after their wedding.
At the edge of Arches National Park, a metal gate that was normally secured with a padlock was left unfastened. Recreation areas had been opened following closures related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As Nakajjigo and her husband were leaving the park, gusts of wind quickly rattled the gate. The force was enough to smash through the passenger side door of her car, decapitating Nakajjigo while her husband was sitting in the driver’s seat.
Because neither his family nor the United States disputed the facts surrounding the case, the civil suit focused on the amount of damages they deserved. Lawyers representing the parents of Michaud and Nakajjigo have asked for $140 million in damages, while the government said adequate compensation would be around $3.5 million.
In the end, Jenkins awarded Michaud $9.5 million, Nakajjigo’s mother, Christine Namagembe, $700,000, and his father, John Bosco Kateregga, $350,000.
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