A Pittsburgh Pirates fan who fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall on the right field at PNC Park during Wednesday night’s game between the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs remains hospitalized in danger, officials said.
A shocking fall caused the game to be delayed temporarily, and fans were removed from the field of cart for about five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staff, as well as members of both the PNC rep.
Shortly after the match ended, the Pirates issued a statement that the man had been taken to a nearby hospital.
In a message posted on X late Wednesday night, Pittsburgh Public Safety, including Pittsburgh Police and EMS, said the man was in a state of crisis and police were investigating it.
In a post updated Thursday morning, Pittsburgh Public Safety said the incident was being treated as “essentially contingent” and they didn’t expect to provide further updates to the public.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Cubs manager Craig Counsel both warned the referee crew of the situation immediately after play. Teammates from both sides were able to be seen kneeling after the incident.
“I mean 350 feet away, or whatever it was, how it went down, and the fact that it was lying motionless while the play was happening, that is, Craig saw it, I saw it. “I think the judge saw it because of the way it was kicked. It’s very unfortunate. That’s an understatement.”
The counsel said he and the team were thinking about the man’s family and calling the incident “clearly scary.” He was seen pointing out the man to the judge on the broadcast. He stopped the game immediately, but the counsel told the media he didn’t see fans falling.
“We didn’t know what we saw,” he said after the match. “All we saw was someone lying on the warning truck. You know that’s not good. I think the gentleman is fine. I’m thinking about his family and him now.”
The Cubs’ short stop dancebee Swanson responded to the incident after the match.
“Nothing happened, but when he came out on the field I saw (the counsel’s) face, and I can say it was a very scary moment,” Swanson said. “All we could do was pray for a good, strong recovery for him and his family. I had not been part of that before.
The fan has passed away in a sudden waterfall at a baseball stadium in the past.
In 2015, Atlanta Braves season ticket holder Gregory K. Marie flipped the guardrail from the upper deck at Turner Field. That came four years after Shannon Stone, a firefighter who attends a game with his six-year-old son, fell about 20 feet after reaching for a foul ball thrown into the stands of the former Texas Rangers stadium.
Both incidents prompted scrutiny over the height of the stadium guardrail. The Rangers raised them, and the Braves settled a lawsuit with Murei’s family.
The audience at Pittsburgh’s Alicia Stadium died after falling on an escalator.
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