Fan taken to hospital after falling from upper deck of Pittsburgh Penguins' PPG Paints Arena

A fan was taken to a hospital after falling from the upper concourse at PPG Paints Arena during Monday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. The fan, a man who has not been identified, fell from the upper deck early in the first period.

Emergency personnel and PPG Paints Arena personnel treated the man, who was taken to nearby Mercy Hospital. The man is in critical condition, Pittsburgh police told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Penguins released the following statement:

“The Pittsburgh Penguins can confirm that an adult male fell from the upper concourse to the lower bowl at PPG Paints Arena earlier this evening. The individual was immediately attended to by Pittsburgh EMS as well as PPG Paints Arena personnel and has since been transported to a local hospital. Although there is no further information at this time, the Penguins and OVG Management Group are closely monitoring the situation. Our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time.”

NHL fan in critical condition after fall at Penguins game

The game continued on as the man received treatment. The Penguins defeated the Blues, 6-3, improving to 7-2-1 on the season. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists, becoming just the ninth player in NHL history to score 1,700 points. Crosby’s thoughts were elsewhere after the game.

“It doesn’t feel right to be talking about points when you hear something like that,” Crosby said. “Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with that person and their family and hopefully they’re OK.”

Head coach Dan Muse also spoke on the incident: “Right after the game, we were informed that a fan fell. Just want to start off by saying thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. We all come here for a sport and a game, and when you hear something like that, it kind of puts everything else aside.”

This was the third fall at a Pittsburgh sporting event this year. In April, a Pittsburgh Pirates fan fell more than 20 feet from the right field seats at PNC Park. The fan suffered injuries to his skull, spine, ribs and lungs. Saturday night, an Acrisure Stadium worker fell 50 feet from the scoreboard onto a catwalk. The worker was transported to a local hospital and is in critical condition.