Man who fell 21 feet at PNC Park: 'I wake up with pain every day'

At the April 30 Pirates game at PNC Park, Kavan Markwood fell 21 feet from his seat above the Clemente Wall to the right field warning track, suffering serious injuries.

In an interview that aired Monday night on “Inside Edition,” Markwood said he doesn’t know how he’s still alive.

“I wake up with pain every day,” Markwood said in the interview, which marked his first visit to PNC Park since the accident. “Still got my arm, I can’t feel my two fingers still.”

But, he said, “I’m doing better than I was, that is for sure.”

Markwood said that during the game against the Chicago Cubs, he got excited about a play and jumped out of his seat. When he came down, he landed awkwardly on the railing, careening off of it and falling head-first onto the field, according to the “Inside Edition” interview.

The fall left Markwood with life-threatening injuries, including a broken back, neck and fractured ribs.

In early May, Markwood called TribLive from his room at Allegheny General Hospital. “Broken everything” is how Markwood described his injuries, which included back and neck injuries and a swollen hand. “I think when I get home I’ll just put ice on it,” he said.

Markwood was at the game with his girlfriend and another friend. Markwood was 20 years old at the time and said his friend bought him some beers that night, according to the “Inside Edition” interview.

Police charged a Liberty Borough man with two counts of selling or furnishing liquor to a minor in connection to the incident. That case is still pending, according to online court records.

“Inside Edition” showed footage of the friend climbing down the on-field wall and jump off to check on Markwood.

“I feel terrible, because it wasn’t his fault,” Markwood said.

According to the police report, Markwood’s girlfriend told detectives he drank two beers before he fell.

“This had nothing to do with drinking?” asked “Inside Edition” reporter Steven Fabian.

“No,” Markwood replied.

“This was just a tragic accident,” Fabian said.

“Right, a tragic accident,” Markwood said.

Markwood is a South Allegheny High School graduate who played linebacker for the Walsh and Wheeling Division II college football teams.

A GoFundMe raised more than $70,000 for Markwood.