A woman died Friday morning after a twist of fate at Pitt Panthers Victory Heights Stadium in Oakland.
PITTSBURGH – A tragic event occurred Friday morning at Pitt Panthers Victory Heights in Oakland, when a woman died after a structural accident.
This happened in the new stadium and sports center that the university is building, next to the Petersen event center. A steel drum fell from the structure. Array went through the fence separating the structure from DeSoto Street, rolled down a hill and struck a pedestrian.
The pedestrian was a woman who was walking with two of her companions when the steel cylinder, which weighed about a ton, struck her, according to information from WPXI.
A nurse who spoke to WPXI said she ran to the woman to perform CPR, but she died within minutes, according to Pittsburgh police.
Police and emergency vehicles blocked DeSoto Street and other streets near the back of the Petersen Events Center.
Victory Heights is a plan by the University of Pittsburgh athletic branch that will introduce innovations in 16 of the camp’s 19 programs, men’s and women’s soccer and basketball.
The arena and sports functionality center, where the fatal twist of fate occurred, will update the Fitzgerald Field House and the new home for wrestling, volleyball and gymnastics. Pitt said the arena will open before the 2025-2026 calendar year.
The stadium will be on the former turf of the Petersen Events Center and will have an expected capacity of about 3,000 people.
The first component of Victory Heights was completed in 2021, adding additional land to the Petersen Sports Complex and improving offices and educational facilities for the men’s and women’s baseball, softball, and soccer teams.
It also includes a new indoor sports and music complex, scheduled for completion in spring 2027. This complex will be on the hillside terrace of Robinson Street, below the Cost Center, where the Pitt Sports Dome is lately located.
Two other projects that are components of Victory Heights include a chilled water plant and the new Student Recreation Center, which will be on the site of the former O’Hara parking lot and the construction of the LRDC on O’Hara Street.
Bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!
Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt