Apr 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Stadium security and Pittsburgh Pirates medical personnel cart a fan who fell from the stands to the field to an ambulance as the Pirates batted against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates Fan Opens Up About Fall From Roberto Clemente Wall

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 7:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates fan who fell from the Roberto Clemente Wall has had a long recovery, but is working his way back from the awful incident.

Kavan Markwood fell from the Roberto Clemente Wall, or right field wall, during the Pirates 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on April 30 at PNC Park.

He reacted to a single from designated hitter Andrew McCutchen, which scored the tying and the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, jumping from his front row seat on the wall, accidentally falling down onto the railing and then down to the warning track.

The Roberto Clemente Wall sits 21 feet high in honor of the Pirates Hall of Fame right fielder, who wore the No. 21 jersey.

Ushers, police and medical staff from both ball clubs immediately rushed and addressed the situation. They placed the 20-year old male on a stretcher and carted him off the field, with EMS transporting him to nearby Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side.

Markwood suffered a broken back, a broken, a punctured lung and every rib broken due to the high fall.

He spoke to Inside Edition, a tabloid television program, that airs on various local television stations across the United States, about his fall.

"I can't believe I'm alive," Markwood said.

Markwood also had his arm in a cast when speaking with Inside Edition, saying that he "can't feel his two fingers", but that he felt better than how he previously did.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police treated the jump as accidental, which is how Markwood described the incident to Inside Edition.

Despite Markwood calling it a "tragic accident," the Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement filed two charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor against Markwood's friend, Ethan Kirkwood, on May 20.

Markwood was 20 years old at the time of the fall, underage, and said that he just drank two beers that night, which Kirkwood purchased, but those didn't contribute to the fall.

"I feel terrible, because it wasn't his fault."

Markwood also told Inside Edition that when he does go back to PNC Park as a fan, he'll sit closer to the field and not so high up.

Pirates fans showed support to Markwood following the fall, raising more than $70,000 towards a GoFundMe, covering any medical expenses during his recovery.

Markwood graduated from South Allegheny High School in 2022, playing football and earning Team MVP honors.

He originally played for Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, and then enrolled at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, W.Va., both Division II programs.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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