Jamie Ulshoffer remained hospitalized in Louisville after being injured while watching Knocked Loose perform at Louder Than Life.
LOUISVILLE, KY — A Tennessee woman was paralyzed from the waist down after a man fell from a tree and landed on her during a performance at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, according to the woman and her husband.
Jamie Ulshoffer was watching Kentucky metalcore band Knocked Loose on Friday at the Kentucky Exposition Center when the incident occurred near the Impact Stage. Emergency medical workers and police responded, and Ulshoffer was taken to UofL Hospital, where she remained in intensive care after undergoing surgery, according to WHAS11.
Ulshoffer and her husband, Conor Ulshoffer, told the station they had been positioned near the back of the performance area, close to several trees. Conor Ulshoffer said he turned around and saw his wife lying on her back. People nearby then told him that a man had fallen from a tree and landed on her. Jamie Ulshoffer said she does not remember the impact and recalled waking later in the hospital.
Ulshoffer told WHAS11 that she could not feel her feet and said her spinal cord had been severed. Her husband said she had undergone surgery following the injury. Details about her long-term prognosis have not been publicly released, and it was not immediately clear what doctors have told the family about the possibility of recovering movement.
The incident happened as Knocked Loose performed during the four-day Louder Than Life festival, which ran Sept. 17-20 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Festival organizers say the annual rock and metal event features more than 200 bands across seven stages. Louder Than Life moved to the exposition center in 2025 as organizers expanded the festival’s footprint.
The performance took place after weather affected the festival schedule. Ulshoffer said the ground and tree were wet after rain and criticized the man’s decision to climb the tree. Her comments reflected her account of what happened, but authorities had not publicly identified the man or released an independent account establishing why he fell.
It was also unclear whether the man remained at the scene after the incident or whether police identified or questioned him. No criminal charges connected to the fall had been publicly confirmed as of Monday. Authorities had not released additional details about the circumstances surrounding the man’s climb or fall.
Danny Wimmer Presents, the company that produces Louder Than Life, told WHAS11 that it could not provide details about a specific medical incident because of patient privacy. The festival’s published health and safety information says security and public safety personnel are present on the grounds and that people whose conduct is illegal, disorderly or offensive can be removed from the event.
The festival’s safety guidance also addresses risks involving crowds and severe weather, though its public guidance reviewed Monday did not specifically address people climbing trees. Organizers describe Louder Than Life as a rain-or-shine event but say performances may be paused or the grounds evacuated because of severe thunderstorms, lightning, high winds, hail or flooding.
The injury has left the Ulshoffers facing an uncertain recovery far from their Tennessee home. Jamie Ulshoffer told WHAS11 that she was worried about how the paralysis would affect everyday life with her children and the activities she enjoyed before the injury. Her family has started a fundraiser to help cover expenses associated with her hospitalization and recovery.
Ulshoffer remained hospitalized in Louisville as her family worked to determine how and when she could return to Tennessee. The identity of the man who fell from the tree, whether investigators intend to pursue any action against him and Ulshoffer’s long-term medical prognosis had not been publicly confirmed.
Author note: Last updated September 21, 2026.