Lawsuits can often run to astronomical sums, but it is rare that a sum will reach a nine-figure settlement. However, this is the aim in a lawsuit opened up against the National Park Service. The suit is aimed at the Arches National Park in Utah. The family of Esther Nakajjigo, 25, is looking to begin a suit for more than $270 million in a wrongful death and personal injury claim. The claim is made after Esther and newlywed husband Ludovic Michaud, 26, were driving to pick up ice cream on a 13th June camping trip.
During the trip, though, a metal gate they encountered was blown at them thanks to a strong gale. The gate sliced into the car, tearing through the vehicle and narrowly missed Michaud. According to the claim, filed in October, the gate sliced through the car “like a hot knife through butter”. Michaud, a Parisian now residing in Denver, said that “we just don’t want this to ever happen again.”
Tragically, Esther was killed in the incident. Her parents are seeking a sum of around $30m, while Michaud is searching for around $240m in damages. According to the claim that was put forward: “For want of an $8.00 basic padlock, our world lost an extraordinary warrior for good; a young woman influencer who was destined to become our society’s future Princess Diana, Philanthropist Melinda Gates or Oprah Winfrey,”
The National Park Service put out a statement from Vanessa Lacayo, spokeswoman for the NPS, and expressed deep regret at the loss of Nakajjigo. However, the claim of wrongful death was not addressed in the statement.
The suit itself is being taken forward by Deborah Chang, who has filed the claim on behalf of Michaud and Nakajjigo’s parents. She said that the NPS has used entrance and exit gates which have “spear-like sharp ends” and have been shown to swing into the path of roadways when incorrectly secured in the past. Chang aims to push forward with a formal lawsuit should the claim be rejected.
The NPS, and Arches National Park, stand accused of not securing the gate which was installed to swing in the incorrect direction. The attorneys also suggest that local government was aware of the dangers of the fences following an incident in 1980 when a man was impaled by a gate that was not correctly secured.
Michaud has stated that his reasoning for the sum is to try and continue the numerous humanitarian and charitable programs that Nakajjigo had started in her life.
Citation
https://www.fox6now.com/news/national-park-service-faces-270m-wrongful-death-injury-claim
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