Kavan Markwood, the fan who fell 20 feet onto the Pittsburgh Pirates' field on April 30, spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday, telling the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he has “broken everything.”
Markwood, 20, described back and neck injuries and said, “I’m all right. I can’t really sleep. I have a lot of back pain.”
A GoFundMe campaign set up by his girlfriend's mother said Markwood broke his neck, clavicle and back. More than $58,000 had been raised as of Thursday.
The update from Markwood himself comes after his sister, Taryn Markwood, said in a statement Monday that her brother's condition was improving. He's breathing on his own, and he's able to speak and squeeze her hand, she said.
“I think when I get home I’ll just put ice on it,” Markwood told the Tribune-Review, saying he would speak more once he is released from the hospital sometime next week.
Markwood has not watched the horrifying video of his fall over the Roberto Clemente Wall at PNC Park, where he landed on the field during the Pirates' game against the Chicago Cubs, the Tribune-Review reported.
He old plunged two stories after having celebrated Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen's two-run double that gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning. More than 11,000 people who were in the stadium that Wednesday night fell silent as players took a knee.
Markwood appeared motionless before he was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition.
McCutchen witnessed the fall and said the team prayed for Markwood after the game, “devastated” by the incident.
Taryn Markwood said in her statement: “To the Pirates and Cubs players, coaches, staff, and all who paused to take a knee in prayer during that tragic moment — your compassion did not go unnoticed. It brought a sense of unity and hope amidst the chaos.”
The South Allegheny School District said Markwood graduated in 2022 and was a football standout, with first-team all-conference honors. It said he was named team MVP.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said that the incident was accidental, not criminal, on May 1 and that it did not plan to provide additional public updates.
