A frightening moment at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, April 30, is once again shining a spotlight on fan safety at stadiums and ballparks around the country. A man fell from a 21-foot wall onto the field during the game and remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
What are the police saying about the fall?
On Thursday, May 1, Pittsburgh police said they are treating the fall as accidental in nature. The fan tumbled over the railing of the “Clemente Wall” in right field moments after Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen doubled in two runs to give the home team a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed the identity of the man who fell as 20-year-old Kavan Markwood. They said he was from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and attended Walsh University and Wheeling University.
Players immediately called for help from the medical staff of both teams as Markwood lay on the warning track. They watched in silence and disbelief for about 10 minutes before he was taken off the field on a cart. Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson was visibly shaken.
“A very, you know, scary moment and you kind of see like everybody’s taking a knee and just praying and hoping everything’s okay,” Swanson said. “Obviously, we’re just praying for a good, strong recovery just to be with him and his family. Never been a part of something like that and obviously hope to never be a part of something like that again.”
What is the man’s condition and what are the Pirates saying?
According to a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety, Markwood was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Pirates’ manager Derek Shelton spoke to reporters after the game.
“I just want to offer thoughts and prayers with the incident that happened earlier in the game,” Shelton said. “I thank both our medical staff, the Cubs medical staff, EMS, everybody that got to the gentleman. I just ask everybody to keep him in your prayers. Even though it’s 350 feet away, or whatever it is, the fact of how it went down and then laying motionless while a play is going on. Craig (Counsell) saw it, I saw it, we both got out there.”
On Thursday, Pirates owner and Chairman Bob Nutting released a statement expressing the team’s concern for Markwood and his family.
“We are all deeply saddened and truly heartbroken after the terrible accident that occurred last night,” Nutting said. “It was one of the most difficult moments many of us have ever experienced. We are devastated. Pirates baseball is a community, and our fans are like family. In times like these, we must come together, support one another, and keep him and his loved ones in our prayers.”
What can be done to prevent this from happening?
Neither Major League Baseball nor the Pirates has commented on what steps they might take to prevent this from happening in the future. This is the first such incident at PNC Park, but in the past 15 years, there have been nearly a dozen similar incidents at MLB ballparks with varying injuries, including at least three deaths.
In 2011, 39-year-old Shannon Stone fell to his death while trying to catch a ball at a Texas Rangers game.
In 2015, 60-year-old Gregory Murrey fell out of the stands during a Braves game. He later died from his injuries.
Also in 2015, a man trying to slide down a railing at Coors Field at a Colorado Rockies game fell and died from his head injuries.
The Pirates said on Thursday that any further update on Markwood’s condition would come from appropriate medical personnel in conjunction with his family.
