Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting has released a statement after harrowing scenes at PNC Park on Thursday night when a fan fell over a 21-foot wall and onto the field.
In the game against the Chicago Cubs, the fan fell from atop the wall in right field – known by fans as the ‘Clemente Wall’.
The fan, who appeared to be shirtless, was tended to by medical personnel and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Pittsburgh Police say they are treating this incident as ‘accidental in nature’. As of just before 9:00am, the fan remains in critical condition.
Nutting’s statement read with an incredibly somber tone, despite there being no recent updates on the fan’s current state or condition.
‘We are all deeply saddened and truly heartbroken after the terrible accident that occurred last night,’ Nutting’s statement began.
Pirates owner Bob Nutting released a statement about a fan who fell from the stands
The fan fell over the wall in right field at the Pirates game on Wednesday night
‘It was one of the most difficult moments many of us have ever experienced. We are devastated.
‘Pirates baseball is a community, and our fans are like family. In times like these, we must come together, support one another, and keep him and his loved ones in our prayers.
‘We also want to thank and appreciate the efforts of the first responders who rushed to his attention and provided him with compassionate care.’
Video posted to social media shows the fan falling over the Clemente Wall before plummeting onto the warning track.
The fan flipped while in the air before appearing to land on his head.
Following the scary fall, medics rushed over with a stretcher as the fan laid on the ground. The fan received medical attention for about five minutes.
Photos showed that another fan appeared to follow the fall victim onto the field afterward, deliberately hopping over the wall from the first row.
Pirates icon Andrew McCutchen could be seen with his head in his hands in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and he also held a cross that hung from his neck.
Andrew McCutchen put his head in his hands after the shocking moment
The fan was seen laying down on the warning track before another fan leapt down to them
Players from both teams could also be seen praying.
The game ultimately resumed after the fan was carted off of the field and brought to the hospital.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Cubs manager Craig Counsell both alerted the umpire crew of the situation immediately after the play.
‘Even though it’s 350 feet away or whatever it is, I mean the fact of how it went down and then laying motionless while the play is going on, I mean Craig saw it, I saw it. We both got out there,’ Shelton said. ‘I think the umpires saw it because of the way it kicked. It’s extremely unfortunate. That’s an understatement.’
The Pirates addressed the moment in a statement after the game, writing that the fan received medical attention from both the Pirates and Cubs athletic training teams and other PNC Park personnel, who ‘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.’
The moment occurred after McCutchen gave the Pirates the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Pittsburgh would go on to win the game 4-3.
