THE shocking 21-foot fall of a Pittsburgh Pirates fan has called to mind other baseball stadium tragedies, including a dad who died trying to catch his son a souvenir ball.
Major League Baseball has tried to crack down on security after fans across America fell victim to killer fly balls and tragic plunges.
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On April 30, fans watched in horror as Kavan Markwood somersaulted over the Clemente Wall at PNC Park, leaving players on the field burying their heads in their hands and praying for his survival.
The 20-year-old took a serious blow to the head, but has now woken up and is in the hospital recovering.
In an interview with TribLive, Markwood said he’s “all right” but is suffering from “broken everything.”
“I can’t really sleep. I have a lot of back pain,” the fan said, explaining that his back, neck, and hand were all injured in the fall.
Markwood shined a light on the dangers of sitting in the rows of baseball stadium bleachers, where other cheering fans have met a tragic end.
In 2018, Linda Goldbloom, a mom of three and grandmother of seven, died after being struck in the head by a foul ball at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
Ushers raced over to her and asked if she was OK after the accident. When she said no, they rushed her to the hospital.
“She threw up in the ambulance,” Goldbloom’s daughter said at the time, according to ESPN.
Despite her heartwrenching end, the Dodgers fan’s family said that she enjoyed a life filled with love and baseball.
“While the end came suddenly by a foul ball at Dodgers Stadium, she had a long beautiful and blessed life,” the family said.
In 2022, tragedy struck again at Petco Park in San Diego, California, when a mother fell to her death from a steep height while holding her toddler.
Cops said that Raquel Wilkins, 40, took her own life and murdered her little two-year-old son by leaping six stories from a dining area as fans filed in to see a Padres game.
After the deaths, the devastated team said, “In light of today’s statement from the San Diego Police Department, we want to reiterate our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of those involved in this tragedy.”
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FATAL CATCH
In 2011, another fan tragically died after toppling over the outfield fence while trying to catch a ball from Texas Rangers left-fielder Josh Hamilton.
In a single tragic moment, Hamilton tossed the souvenir ball, accidentally causing firefighter Shannon Stone to collapse onto the field in the middle of the second inning.
According to players who rushed the field to help, Stone was last heard speaking about his young son before he entered cardiac arrest and died.
The MLB has cracked down on safety in recent years to prevent outfield tragedies, with some stadiums installing more nets to stop foul balls.
Traditionally, parks only had nets behind the home plate, but after a two-year-old girl had her skull fractured by a fly ball in 2019, more measures were introduced.
Some parks have also decided to stop serving alcohol around the seventh inning.
And, rail heights separating fans from the field have been raised to prevent people from falling over.