PITTSBURGH — The man who fell from the top of a 21-foot-high wall onto the warning track at PNC Park during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night is awake and alert.
The organizer of a GoFundMe page for Kavan Markwood, the 20-year-old who slipped off a railing and onto the field during the seventh inning of the Pirates’ 4-3 win over the Cubs, shared an update Saturday that Markwood is improving.
According to Jennifer Phillips, who is organizing the fundraiser, Markwood has made significant progress since being admitted to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital on Wednesday in critical condition.
“After everything he’s been through since the accident on Wednesday night, this progress feels nothing short of miraculous,” wrote Phillips, who once taught Markwood. “He still has a long road ahead of him, but today brought a moment of hope that we’ve all been holding onto.”
Phillips added that Markwood can speak and encouraged others to support him during his “next phase of recovery.”
As of early Saturday evening, the GoFundMe had raised more than $27,000.
The Pirates have conducted an internal investigation into the incident, which included interviewing fans and analyzing credit-card receipts by others in Markwood’s group.
Brian Warecki, the club’s senior vice president of communications, said the investigation concluded that Markwood did not buy any alcohol but did consume two beers over the course of the game.
Markwood attended the game with three other people, the team said. Credit-card receipts indicated that one party in the group legally bought seven alcoholic beverages during the contest.
The team said it received conflicting accounts from fans who sat near Markwood in the section that sits above the Clemente Wall, which is named for Hall of Famer and franchise icon Roberto Clemente.
One fan told the team that Markwood appeared intoxicated. Others said he did not do anything of note until the moment he stood up to celebrate a hit by Pirates star Andrew McCutchen, at which point Markwood leaped out of his seat toward the 36-inch railing in front of him before flipping over the top.
Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, has labeled the incident an accident.