Festivalgoer Left Paralyzed After Man Falls From Tree Onto Her During Concert
A Tennessee woman suffered a severed spinal cord and is paralyzed from the waist down after a concertgoer fell from a tree and landed on her at the Louder Than Life music festival in Kentucky.
Jamie Ulshoffer and her husband Conor were attending the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday evening when a man fell from a tree and landed on Jamie, causing a severe spinal cord injury. The incident occurred around 11:15 p.m. during a performance by the band Knocked Loose.
Jamie, from Clarksville, Tennessee, was sitting on the ground with her husband when the man fell. "I turn around and see Jamie on her back, and then [a friend] Evelyn said that some dude fell out of a tree," Conor Ulshoffer told WHAS11 News.
Jamie Ulshoffer spoke from her hospital bed at the University of Louisville Hospital, stating, "I'm paralyzed. I can't feel my feet. I can't do anything that I used to." In addition to her paralysis from a severed spine, she also sustained three cracked ribs from the impact.
Louisville Metro Police officers provided initial aid before emergency medical services transported Ulshoffer to the hospital, according to The Courier Journal. The Ulshoffers are described as avid festivalgoers who have attended Louder Than Life in the past. The festival, billed as "America's Loudest Rock & Metal Festival," is held annually at the Kentucky Expo Center and typically draws around 200,000 attendees. This year's event ran from September 17-20.
Jamie's niece, Cheyenne Will, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Ulshoffer's medical expenses, with a goal of $22,000. The fundraiser has so far gathered $8,000.
Regarding the man who fell, Jamie Ulshoffer said, "You shouldn't have been up there. Stupid decision. You've done this, but I'll forgive."
It remains unclear whether any criminal charges have been filed against the individual. The Daily Mail has reached out to local police and the festival organizers for comment.
As of the report, the couple was uncertain about when they would be able to return to their home state. The Ulshoffers are pictured during the Louder Than Life festival.
