A fan who attended Monday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Blues has what authorities are calling “life-threatening injuries” after falling from the second deck of PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Public Safety says the individual fell from the 200 level and hit a person in the suite section below. The person fell during the game’s first period, and the game was not stopped as they received attention.
Later in the night, an entire section of seats was roped away with yellow tape and a pane of glass is also missing from the front of the section.
Similar Incidents in Pittsburgh This Year
It’s the latest in a string of similar incidents to take place in Pittsburgh at sporting events and stadiums. A worker at the Steelers’ Acrisure Stadium was recently hurt after falling more than 50 feet on Sunday night, and a man named Kavan Markwood fell from the stands at a Pirates game over the summer.
Markwood received treatment for life-threatening injuries of his own, including trauma to his skull, brain, spine, ribs and lungs.
Fans criticized the arena’s makeup and infrastructure on social media, with one saying that “the arena is a horrible design and the steps/seats are way too steep.” Another fan related to the amount of steps on the second deck, and how often walking them can feel like a scary experience.
Some fans were able to see the incident in real time.
“He was like, teetering a little bit, and then he fell forward. Somehow, he just kept sailing over the seats, and I think his head hit the Plexiglas, or safety glass, and shattered it,” said Todd Derr in an interview with ABC’s Pittsburgh affiliate.
Penguins React to the Tragic Accident
Penguins coach Dan Muse also addressed the accident after the game, saying that “thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”
“Obviously we all come here for a sport and a game and you hear something like that and that puts everything else aside,” Muse added.
“It doesn’t feel right to be talking about points when you hear something like that,” said longtime Penguins star Sidney Crosby. “Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with that person and their family and hopefully they’re OK.”
Our thoughts are with the fan who fell and their friends, family and loved ones during this time.
