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PITTSBURGH -- A man who fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall successful close tract astatine PNC Park during Wednesday night's crippled betwixt the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs remained successful captious information connected Thursday morning.
Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, posted connected X Thursday that the "incident is being treated arsenic accidental successful nature."
The antheral who fell was identified Thursday arsenic Kavan Markwood, according to accusation supplied by the Southern Alleghany School District. District Workforce Development Coordinator Laura Thomson said successful a connection that the territory is keeping the "former pupil and standout athlete" successful its thoughts and prayers. She identified Markwood was a 2022 postgraduate who "made a lasting impact" connected the territory assemblage arsenic an jock and a "man of character," and said helium was MVP of the shot squad during his elder year.
Thomson's connection said Markwood "is champion known for his resilience, spot and kindness. He is simply a person to each - idiosyncratic who lifts others up and faces challenges with courageousness and grace."
Markwood is besides a pupil and shot subordinate astatine Walsh University successful North Canton, Ohio. The schoolhouse posted connected societal media a photograph of him from the 2022 shot roster.
Markwood fell onto the informing way successful close tract conscionable arsenic Pirates prima Andrew McCutchen deed a two-run treble successful the seventh inning to enactment Pittsburgh up 4-3. Players began waving frantically for aesculapian unit and pointing to the man.
Markwood was tended to for astir 5 minutes by members of some the Pirates and Cubs grooming staffs arsenic good arsenic PNC personnel, earlier being removed from the tract connected a cart. He was taken to the trauma halfway astatine Allegheny General Hospital, wherever helium remained connected Thursday.
Pittsburgh proprietor Bob Nutting said the nine was "deeply saddened" and "truly heartbroken" implicit what helium called a "terrible accident."
"In times similar these, we indispensable travel together, enactment 1 another, and support him and his loved ones successful our prayers," Nutting said successful a statement. "We besides privation to convey and admit the efforts of the archetypal responders who rushed to his attraction and provided him with compassionate care."
The railing that runs on the Clemente Wall successful close tract is 3 feet (36 inches) successful height, which exceeds the gathering codification requirements of 26 inches, according to Pirates vice president of communications Brian Warecki.
Fans were sitting successful the beforehand enactment supra the Clemente Wall connected Thursday up of the bid finale betwixt the 2 teams.
McCutchen, a five-time All-Star and franchise icon, said Thursday that the squad was "devastated," adding that they prayed unneurotic aft the game. Asked to picture his viewpoint of the sequence, McCutchen declined, saying helium is trying not to deliberation astir it and is much focused connected the man's health.
A instrumentality is carted disconnected the tract astatine PNC Park aft falling retired of the stands during the 7th inning of a shot crippled betwixt the Pirates and the Cubs successful Pittsburgh, April 30, 2025.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
"We're conscionable hoping for the champion for him," helium said. "I anticipation helium pulls done due to the fact that he's the crushed wherefore we are here. He's the crushed wherefore we play the game. People that amusement their enactment truthful we tin bash thing we love, partially due to the fact that of him and due to the fact that of fans. So, I conscionable commune that he's each right."
Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Cubs manager Craig Counsell some alerted the umpire unit of the concern instantly aft the play.
"Even though it's 350 feet distant oregon immoderate it is, I mean the information of however it went down and past laying motionless portion the play is going on, I mean Craig saw it, I saw it. We some got retired there," Shelton said. "I deliberation the umpires saw it due to the fact that of the mode it kicked. It's highly unfortunate. That's an understatement."
Players from some teams could beryllium seen praying and McCutchen held a transverse that hung from his cervix portion Markwood was taken disconnected the field.
The crippled was paused for respective minutes portion helium received aesculapian attraction but determination was nary authoritative stoppage successful play.
Police said immoderate aesculapian update connected the instrumentality volition beryllium provided by aesculapian unit successful conjunction with the man's family.
Fans person died from steep falls astatine shot stadiums successful the past.
In 2015, Atlanta Braves play summons holder Gregory K. Murrey flipped implicit defender rails from the precocious platform astatine Turner Field. That was 4 years aft Shannon Stone, a firefighter attending a crippled with his 6-year-old son, fell astir 20 feet aft reaching retired for a foul shot tossed into the stands astatine the Texas Rangers' erstwhile stadium.
Both incidents prompted scrutiny implicit the tallness of defender rails astatine stadiums. The Rangers raised theirs, portion the Braves settled a suit with Murrey's family.
A spectator astatine a 2022 NFL crippled astatine Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium died pursuing a autumn connected an escalator.
