Kavan Markwood, Pirates fan who fell onto field at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, takes first steps
By Michael Guise
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Kavan Markwood, the 20-year-old Pirates fan who fell from the Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park in Pittsburgh during a game last week, took his first steps on Monday.
According to Jennifer Phillips, the organizer of a GoFundMe page for Markwood, the young man “has a long way to go” in his recovery. Markwood was critically injured after he fell from the bleachers and landed on the warning track during April 30’s Pirates-Cubs game.
Monday’s update came after Markwood’s family reported over the weekend that his condition was improving. They said he was awake and able to speak, adding he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
“Kav took his first steps today! It’s a slow slow process, but seeing him up and moving was a huge win and definitely lifted everyone’s spirits,” Phillips wrote on Monday.
Phillips said Markwood broke his neck, clavicle and back. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment.
Pittsburgh Public Safety is treating the fall as “accidental in nature.”
Who is Kavan Markwood? Markwood graduated from South Allegheny High School in 2022, a district spokesperson confirmed to KDKA last week.
He played football for the high school’s team, earning team MVP honors as a senior, and was best known “for his resilience, strength, and kindness,” the district spokesperson said.
“If there is somebody who going to be able to overcome this, it’s going to be Kavan Markwood because he’s a tough kid,” South Allegheny School District Superintendent David McDonald told KDKA last week. “He’s a fighter.”
Markwood fell onto the warning track moments after the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen hit an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In a statement on Friday, a Pirates spokesperson said Markwood showed no known signs of being intoxicated at the time of the fall but added that they believe he consumed two beers throughout the game.
The spokesperson said Markwood was in a group of four people — another male and two females — and credit card receipts show the other man legally purchased drinks four times.
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