The man who fell over a railing at PNC Park is in critical condition. Police say it was an accident

PITTSBURGH AP A man who fell from the -foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during Wednesday night s tournament between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs remained in critical condition on Thursday morning Pittsburgh Residents Safety which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS posted on X Thursday that the situation is being treated as accidental in nature The man who fell was identified Thursday as Kavan Markwood according to information supplied by the Southern Alleghany School District District Workforce Maturation Coordinator Laura Thomson stated in a report that the district is keeping the former aspirant and standout athlete in its thoughts and prayers She identified Markwood was a graduate who made a lasting impact on the district group as an athlete and a man of character and reported he was MVP of the football organization during his senior year The man fell onto the warning track in right field just as Pirates star Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put Pittsburgh ahead - Players began waving frantically for anatomical personnel and pointing to the man The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel before being removed from the field on a cart He was taken to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital where he remained on Thursday Pittsburgh owner Bob Nutting noted the club was deeply saddened and truly heartbroken over what he called a terrible accident In times like these we must come together aid one another and keep him and his loved ones in our prayers Nutting reported in a announcement We also want to thank and appreciate the efforts of the first responders who rushed to his attention and provided him with compassionate care The railing that runs along the Clemente Wall in right field is three feet inches in height which exceeds the building code requirements of inches according to Pirates vice president of communications Brian Warecki Fans were sitting in the front row above the Clemente Wall on Thursday ahead of the series finale between the two teams McCutchen a five-time All-Star and franchise icon commented Thursday that the group was devastated adding that they prayed together after the match Urged to describe his viewpoint of the sequence McCutchen declined saying he is trying not to think about it and is more focused on the man s strength We re just hoping for the best for him he mentioned I hope he pulls through because he s the reason why we are here He s the reason why we play the challenge People that show their aid so we can do something we love partly because of him and because of fans So I just pray that he s all right Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Cubs manager Craig Counsell both alerted the umpire crew of the situation directly after the play Even though it s feet away or whatever it is I mean the fact of how it went down and then laying motionless while the play is going on I mean Craig saw it I saw it We both got out there Shelton noted I think the umpires saw it because of the way it kicked It s extremely unfortunate That s an understatement Players from both teams could be seen praying and McCutchen held a cross that hung from his neck while the fan was taken off the field The match was paused for several minutes while the man received physiological attention but there was no official stoppage in play Police explained any physiological update on the fan will be provided by healthcare personnel in conjunction with the man s family Fans have died from steep falls at baseball stadiums in the past In Atlanta Braves season ticket holder Gregory K Murrey flipped over guard rails from the upper deck at Turner Field That was four years after Shannon Stone a firefighter attending a meeting with his -year-old son fell about feet after reaching out for a foul ball tossed into the stands at the Texas Rangers former stadium Both incidents prompted scrutiny over the height of guard rails at stadiums The Rangers raised theirs while the Braves settled a lawsuit with Murrey s family A spectator at a NFL encounter at Pittsburgh s Acrisure Stadium died following a fall on an escalator AP MLB https apnews com MLB Source