By SUSAN JONES
A pedestrian was killed this morning near the Petersen Events Center when a large metal cylinder rolled off the construction site for Pitt’s new Arena and Sports Performance Center and struck her near DeSoto and Terrace streets, according to several news reports.
The woman was walking when she was hit by the cylinder, which Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman Emily Bourne said weighed more than a ton. A nurse who was near the scene tried to perform CPR, the news reports said, but the woman was declared dead shortly after the 10:40 a.m. accident.
A Pitt spokesman said the woman is not a current student or employee of the University. The Post-Gazette reported that authorities believe she was an employee at a nearby hospital.
“No other injuries have been reported and no additional details are available at this time,” the Pitt statement said. “The city of Pittsburgh and Occupational Safety and Health Administration will lead the investigation with the full support of the University. We offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victim.”
It also pointed to resources available for Pitt community members, including Life Solutions and the University Counseling Center.
Another pedestrian was killed on Terrace Street last November when she was struck a UPMC shuttle bus.
Construction on the Arena and Sports Performance Center, which will sit in the bowl next to the Petersen Events Center, began last year and is scheduled to be completed in January 2026. The $240 million project is set to include a center for strength and conditioning, sports medicine, nutrition, and mental well-being needs for 16 of Pitt's 19 intercollegiate athletics programs and a 3,000-seat arena for gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling.
David DeJong, Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for business and operations, said earlier this year that, “Our safety record has been exemplary, which in light of the difficulties of the hillside and three overlapping major projects on the hillside is really, really gratifying. It’s not an accident. It’s our number one priority for the campus community and on the sites.”
The other projects are Pitt’s new Recreation and Wellness Center on O’Hara Street and the new UPMC bed tower on DeSoto and Fifth Avenue.
DeJong said in March that Pitt has full-time construction safety planners. “All of our construction partners, they have their own safety guys. Those are inside the sites and our guys go back and forth. We’re walking the sites every day. We’re walking through the campus every day. Our eyes are on that stuff.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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