Charges filed in underage drinking lawsuit after Pirates fan's horrible PNC Park fall

Charges have officially been filed in last month's horrifying incident that saw Pittsburgh Pirates fan Kavan Markwood fall 21 feet onto the warning track during a game at PNC Park, court records show.

Jennifer Borrasso of KDKA TV News reported Tuesday that the Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement has filed two charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor against Ethan Kirkwood, Markwood's friend who was with him at PNC Park the night of the incident. The charges allege that Kirkwood, who is 21 years old, gave alcohol to Markwood, who is 20 and underage, which played a role in his fall.

Both charges are third-degree misdemeanors, the penalties for which can range from a year in prison to $2,500 in fines. As a result of the fall, Markwood suffered injuries to his skull, spine, lungs, ribs and brain that will require a lengthy healing process.

Charges filed in underage drinking lawsuit after Pirates fan's horrible PNC Park fall

According to the criminal complaint from the Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement, security footage from inside PNC Park allegedly showed Kirkwood buying two 24-ounce Miller Lite beer from a kiosk inside the park before first pitch between the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs on April 30. While the server did check ID during the purchase, subsequent security footage clips allegedly show Kirkwood carrying the beers back to his group of friends that included Markwood, who was later seen with a beer in hand.

Footage from about an hour later showed Kirkwood heading to the bar area and then returning with two more cans, according to the report. Markwood fell from the stands approximately 50 minutes later, just as security footage allegedly showed Kirkwood coming back to the group's seats with two more beers.

About a week after the incident, Markwood's family and physicians at Allegheny General hospital said that he had made significant progress in his recovery and had been moved out of the intensive care unit to begin therapy for his brain injury. While the fact that Markwood can even do daily living activities such as standing up and walking to the bathroom is certainly a best-case scenario, given the circumstances, those activities remain painful and challenging.

While Markwood is alert and able to speak, his cognitive progress following his brain injury remains more challenging to predict

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