A Missouri school secretary died from head injuries she sustained when she was kicked in the head by a crowd surfer at a rock festival.
Danielle Uskiwich, 28, died on Tuesday, 10 days after another concertgoer accidentally struck her in the head while listening to the rock band Sleep Theory perform at Pointfest in Maryland Heights, Missouri, on May 16, her family said.
“It is with absolutely shattered hearts that we share that our beautiful Danielle passed away on May 26th at 1:54 PM,” her cousins wrote on GoFundMe Wednesday.
Uskiwich, an attendance secretary at St. Charles High School, 6 miles north of the concert venue, had initially thought nothing of the injury until she was hospitalized with a severe headache three days after the concert.
Doctors discovered a brain bleed had developed, which they suspect was caused by the stranger’s kick.
Uskiwich suffered two strokes and underwent emergency surgery during her week-long hospitalization, where doctors removed six pints of blood and several blood clots.
Uskiwich’s family revealed that an unidentified “underlying condition” was discovered during the surgery that could have gone unnoticed if it weren’t for the brain bleed.
Uskiwich was placed into a medically induced coma to reduce swelling to the brain while the rest of her body recovered after the May 22 procedure.
Uskiwich made one last heroic gesture before her death by donating her organs.
“Even through unimaginable grief, Danielle’s immediate family made the incredibly selfless decision to honor her giving spirit through organ donation so that others may have a second chance at life,” the grieving relatives wrote.
Uskiwich was honored with a “beautiful honor walk” through the hospital, surrounded by family, friends and hospital staff on Tuesday afternoon, before she was transported to St. Louis’ Mid-America Transplant for the organ donation, according to her family.
Uskiwich had celebrated her engagement to her fiancé, Jason, in August 2025, and the couple had planned to get married in April.
“We have a long road ahead of us, but we’re going to get there! There’s no one tougher in the would to get through this,”Jason wrote on May 23. “I love you so many!! You have 11 months to get ready for the aisle, baybos!”
Uskiwich was also remembered as a lifelong St. Louis Blues fan with her favorite player being TJ Oshie, and for her love of music and traveling.
“Danielle was loved by so many. She had the kindest heart, a beautiful smile, and a spirit that could light up any room, and she was the kind of person people naturally gravitated toward because of her warmth, humor, and the way she made others feel seen and loved,” her family wrote.
Pointfest is the annual music festival hosted by local alternative rock radio station 105.1 “The Point” held at the 20,000-seat Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, 22 miles from Downtown St. Louis.
Headliner Staind closed the show after performances from Blue October, Mammoth, Highly Suspect and Sleep Theory other bands.
The venue holds 7,000 seats in partially covered general admission with an additional capacity for 13,000 in the lawn seating.
