Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(TNS)
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Police said a man is in critical condition after falling roughly 20 feet onto the field at PNC Park during Wednesday evening’s Pirates game.
Play was paused in the bottom of the seventh inning of the game between the Pirates and Chicago Cubs after a fan fell off the Clemente wall and onto the right field warning track. Players and coaches from both teams reacted instantly, demanding for the game to stop.
Members of the Pirates training staff, along with emergency medical staff on hand, then sprinted to right field to assist the fan, who laid motionless on the ground. Videos on social media from behind the Pirates dugout showed the fan was sitting in the front row of the far-left section of the Clemente wall, which stands 21 feet high in honor of late Pirates legend Roberto Clemente. EMS and the Pirates training staff attended to the fan before the individual was stabilized on a stretcher and carted off the field.
According to police, the man was then sent to a hospital in critical condition.
“I want to offer thoughts and prayers with the incident that happened earlier in the game and thank both our medical staff, the Cubs medical staff, EMS, everybody that got to the gentleman and just ask everybody to keep him in your prayers,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said following the game.
"Even though it's 350 feet away or whatever it is, the fact of how it went down,” Shelton added later on, “and then laying motionless while the play is going on. I mean, [Cubs manager] Craig [Counsell] saw it. I saw it. We both got out there. I don't think the umpire saw it unfortunately because of the way the ball kicked. It's extremely unfortunate. I mean, that's an understatement."
The Pirates issued the following statement Wednesday evening:
“Tonight, during the seventh inning of the game at PNC Park, an adult male fell from the right field bleachers onto the field of play. Pittsburgh EMS, as well as the Pirates and Cubs athletic training teams and other PNC Park personnel reacted and responded immediately and administered care. He was transported to Allegheny General Hospital. No further information is available at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”
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