Woman Dies at Pitt Victory Heights Arena Site

A woman died Friday morning after a construction accident at the Pitt Panthers Victory Heights arena site in Oakland.

June 21, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; A Pittsburgh police officer patrols in Pittsburgh, PA / Jasper Colt-USA TODAY NETWORK

PITTSBURGH -- A tragic event took place Friday morning at the Pitt Panthers Victory Heights site in Oakland, as a woman died after a construction accident.

This occurred at the new Arena and Sports Performance Center site that the University is contstructing adjacent to the Petersen Events Center. A metal drum fell from the construction site, broke through the fence separating the site from DeSoto St, rolled down the hill and struck a pedestrian.

The pedestrian was a woman walking with two of her colleagues when the metal clyinder, which weight about a ton, hit her, according to reporting from WPXI.

#BREAKING: A hospital employee was killed near the Peterson Event Center in Oakland after a massive steel tube broke free from a nearby construction site, rolled down hill and hit her. The roll came to rest against a truck. Crews on scene investigation. @KDKA #KDKADroneTeam pic.twitter.com/UQCaLMqwAs

— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) May 3, 2024

A nurse that spoke to WPXI said she ran up to the woman to perform CPR, but she died within minutes, according to Pittsburgh police.

Police and emergency vehicles have blocked the DeSoto St. and other roads near the bottom of the Petersen Events Center.

Victory Heights is a plan by the University of Pittsburgh athletic department that will bring enhancements and improvements to 16 of the 19 programs on camps, excluding football and both men's and women's basketball.

The Arena and Sports Performance Center, where the deadly accident took place, will serve as a replacement for the Fitzgerald Field House and become the new home for wrestling, volleyball and gymnastics. Pitt said that the arena will open ahead of the 2025-26 academic calendar year.

The arena will sit on the old Petersen Events Center lawn and has an expected capacity around 3,000.

The first portion of Victory Heights was completed in 2021, which added an addition floor to the Petersen Sports Complex and enhancing offices and training facilites for baseball, softball and men's and women's soccer teams.

It also includes a new indoor track and field and band complex, that is set for completion in spring 2027. This complex will sit on the hillside terrace on Robinson Street below the Cost Center, where the Pitt Sports Dome currently is.

Two other projects that are a part of Victory Heights include a chilled water plant and the new student recreation center, that will sit where the former O'Hara parking garage and the LRDC building on O'Hara Street.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

• Pitt Makes Top 3 Schools for Miami Transfer
• Pitt's David Green Signs with CFL Team
• Pitt's Bub Means Receives New Number with Saints
• Pitt Football Reaches Out to Star FCS WR Transfer
• Pitt Football to Host WR on Official Visit

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt