The fan who fell from an outfield wall at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s PNC Park has been identified.
The spectator who fell more than 20 feet to the field during Wednesday’s Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs game has been identified as 20-year-old Kavan Markwood, according to a report published on Thursday by Kevin Gorman of The Tribune-Review. Markwood, a 2022 graduate of South Allegheny High School and a former member of their football team, is still in critical condition at a nearby hospital, Gorman continues.
“Everyone at South Allegheny would say he is a hardworking, highly resilient young man,” South Allegheny School District spokesperson Laura Thomson was quoted as saying of Markwood. “He’s a fighter. He’s going to need that resiliency now. But he has it. He’s touched a lot of lives at South Allegheny. We’re a small community. He’s a household name here. Everyone knows him. He has the prayers and the support of the South Allegheny community.”
According to TMZ Sports, Markwood also played collegiate football, first as a linebacker for Wheeling University in Wheeling, West Virginia, and then for Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio.
Markwood is a product of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, according to his bio on the Wheeling website. In 2023, he had four appearances as a redshirt freshman and recorded five total tackles. He also played on special teams for Wheeling.
Markwood, who was a First Team All-Conference selection and team MVP as a senior at South Allegheny High School, fell from the Clemente Wall in right field (which stands 21 feet tall) down to the dirt warning track during the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game. Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen had just hit a two-RBI double when Markwood leapt up from his seat and tumbled over a three-foot guard railing down to the field below.
The game (which the Pirates won 4-3) was briefly delayed while team and venue staff attended to Markwood. Eventually, he was wheeled off the field and sent to Allegheny General Hospital.
