Pittsburgh Pirates fan Kavan Markwood, 20, spoke for the first time since his terrifying fall more than 20 feet onto the warning track at PNC Park last week.

The family of Kavan Markwood said that he is awake, alert, and able to speak, but still has a long road to recovery.

In the first game at PNC Park after the accident, Pirates owner Bob Nutting acknowledged the fall in a statement read before the national anthem. He called it "one of the most difficult moments many of us have ever experienced" and thanked the medical staff and first responders who assisted Markwood.