David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Earlier this year, a Pirates fan was seriously injured after tumbling over the outfield wall and crashing onto the field 20 feet below. Another scary incident unfolded in Pittsburgh on Monday night, as a spectator at a Penguins game was rushed to the hospital after falling from the upper deck at the team’s arena.
If you’ve ever sat in the upper deck at a stadium or arena, you’ve probably had to grapple with a little bit of vertigo while making your way down the stairs. The logical part of your brain might tell you that you don’t really need to worry about falling down to the ground below, but it’s also hard to totally dismiss the fact that it could theoretically happen.
The people who design those venues are very aware of that possibility, and while there are usually safeguards in place to prevent a potentially tragic incident from unfolding, there’s only so much they can do to ensure spectators are going to be kept out of harm’s way (especially when there’s alcohol involved).
Those falls are thankfully few and far between, but there have now been two of them in less than a year in the city of Pittsburgh.
A Penguins fan was hospitalized after falling from the upper deck at PPG Paints Arena during a game against the Blues
In 2015, a fan at a Braves game died after falling from the upper deck at Turner Field three years after another spectator watching Tennessee face off against NC State at the Georgia Dome suffered the same fate.
It would be a stretch to refer to a recent run of incidents in Pittsburgh as a trend, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that three people have been seriously injured after falling at one of the city’s sporting venues over the course of 2025.
A Pirates fan broke his neck and back after crashing onto the warning track in April, an employee preparing for a Steelers game at Acrisure Stadium fell 50 feet from the scoreboard this weekend, and on Monday, a fan watching the Penguins host the Blues was seriously injured after falling from the 200-level deck at PPG Paints Arena.
According to WTAE, the incident unfolded when the Penguins scored a goal to even the score at two toward the end of the first period. An eyewitness told the outlet the unidentified spectator jumped up to celebrate before “sailing over the seats” and tumbling from the upper deck, striking someone standing in the suite below before landing on the concourse at ground level.
The fan was taken to the hospital with “life-threatening injuries” (the person they hit declined further treatment after being evaluated), and the team issued a statement acknowledging the situation.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 28, 2025
Sidney Crosby scored the 1,700th point of his career in the team’s 6-3 win over St. Louis, but he declined to focus on the accomplishment after hearing about the fall.
Crosby: “We just heard someone fell tonight. Doesn’t feel right to be talking about points. My thought and prayers to that person.”
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) October 28, 2025
Scary stuff.