Fans fall from the stands during Pittsburgh Pirates MLB game
Pittsburgh police said the man was in a critical state after falling from the outfield stands during seven innings of the MLB game.
The man allegedly providing alcohol to a minor Pittsburgh Pirates fan who suffered a major injury after falling 21 feet from the stands during a major league baseball game at PNC Park last month, is currently facing criminal charges.
The dramatic fall, filmed in the video, took place at the bottom of seven innings as 20-year-old Kaban Markwood rolled the railing on the right field as he celebrated Andrew McCutchen’s April 30 Go-Ahead Double.
His friend Ethan H. Kirkwood, 21, was charged May 20 with two counts of alcohol or malt beverage furniture in connection with the case, Allegheny County online criminal case records show.
Both men are from the city of McKeesport, a suburb that is about 25 minutes’ drive southeast of downtown Pittsburgh.
A video circulating on social media after the fall shows Markwood sitting in the front row of his seat. He then rolled down the top rail and fell into the dirt below.
The fall came from one of the tallest seats in the outfield – the highest fence in the outfield was the correct field at 21 feet, in honor of Hall of Fame Roberto Clemente, according to the pirates.
In an interview on May 7 when he was hospitalized after the accident, Markwood told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review that he “broke everything.”
The context behind every virus moment: Sign up for the newsletter everyone talking about on USA Today.
Have the Pirate Fans of Pittsburgh survived?
According to a spokesman for the South Allegheny School District, Markwood graduated from South Allegheny High School in 2022.
“I really can’t sleep,” he told Triblive.com. “I have a lot of back pain.”
According to an online fundraiser created by his girlfriend’s mom, Jennifer Phillip, she writes that Markwood broke his neck, cravicle and back.
“But he shows true strength and we continue to maintain hope for a smooth recovery,” Philip wrote on May 6th on his fundraising page.
As of May 21st, the page had raised more than $67,000 to support Markwood.
The Pittsburgh Public Safety Bureau previously reported that autumn was “treated as a coincidence.”
Friends charged for giving beer to fans who fell into court in June
Kirkwood was not listed online as an inmate at the Allegheny County Jail on May 21.
It was not immediately known if he had obtained a lawyer.
Kirkwood is scheduled to appear before a district court magistrate for a preliminary hearing on the June 23 charge.
Contributions: Steve Gardner and Jace Evans
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter at USA Today. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at x @natalielu
