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Witness recalls moment she saw fan fall at PNC Park
She says he jumped up out of excitement and it all happened so fast at Pittsburgh Pirates game
Updated: 11:09 PM EDT May 1, 2025
Amy Thompson said she met a group of young people Wednesday night at PNC Park to watch the baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs.Thompson and the group instantly hit it off, cheering on their team and excited to have a great night. But that quickly took a turn when, just hours later, she witnessed what she called an unfortunate freak accident.”To be right next to him in the chair and see him go over the railing like that was just shocking,” Thompson said.Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double, bringing the crowd to its feet. Just moments later, horror unfolded right before Thompson’s eyes. “As he jumped out of his seat to celebrate, it appeared that he had his hands out on the fence in front of us, which I had done several times during the game as well. I think the momentum from him jumping up in his seat and the way he grabbed the rail just seemed like he catapulted himself off the railing,” Thompson said.And everyone around was thinking the same before realizing the worst had just happened.”When you look at it in slo-mo, it just looks like he’s jolting up because it was a huge play,” said Bobby Ketter, who took the video of the fall that went viral.Twenty-year-old Kavan Markwood fell over the right-field Roberto Clemente wall, 21 feet down, before landing on the field.”In moments like that, when you just want someone you see injured immediately taken care of, every second feels like five minutes,” Thompson said.”Deeply saddened and truly heartbroken”: Pirates owner Bob Nutting issues statement after fan falls at PNC ParkMarkwood is a 2022 South Allegheny graduate. The school district sent WTAE a statement saying, in part, “Kavan made a lasting impact on the community both as an athlete and young man of character… Kavan is best known for his resilience, strength, and kindness.”A statement from the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department said the fall is being treated as an accident.Markwood was taken to Allegheny General Hospital and remained in critical condition Thursday evening.
Amy Thompson said she met a group of young people Wednesday night at PNC Park to watch the baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs.
Thompson and the group instantly hit it off, cheering on their team and excited to have a great night. But that quickly took a turn when, just hours later, she witnessed what she called an unfortunate freak accident.
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“To be right next to him in the chair and see him go over the railing like that was just shocking,” Thompson said.
Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double, bringing the crowd to its feet. Just moments later, horror unfolded right before Thompson’s eyes.
“As he jumped out of his seat to celebrate, it appeared that he had his hands out on the fence in front of us, which I had done several times during the game as well. I think the momentum from him jumping up in his seat and the way he grabbed the rail just seemed like he catapulted himself off the railing,” Thompson said.
And everyone around was thinking the same before realizing the worst had just happened.
“When you look at it in slo-mo, it just looks like he’s jolting up because it was a huge play,” said Bobby Ketter, who took the video of the fall that went viral.
Twenty-year-old Kavan Markwood fell over the right-field Roberto Clemente wall, 21 feet down, before landing on the field.
“In moments like that, when you just want someone you see injured immediately taken care of, every second feels like five minutes,” Thompson said.
“Deeply saddened and truly heartbroken”: Pirates owner Bob Nutting issues statement after fan falls at PNC Park
Markwood is a 2022 South Allegheny graduate. The school district sent WTAE a statement saying, in part, “Kavan made a lasting impact on the community both as an athlete and young man of character… Kavan is best known for his resilience, strength, and kindness.”
A statement from the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department said the fall is being treated as an accident.
Markwood was taken to Allegheny General Hospital and remained in critical condition Thursday evening.
