A Pennsylvania woman is suing the business entity of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, claiming she was severely injured during the Running of the Pierogis race at a Pittsburgh holiday festival in November 2024.
According to local news, Belinda Brown says she slipped on a wet mat at the start of the race, causing her to fall and hurt her shoulder.
A Fayette County woman wants compensation from the Pittsburgh Pirates after she fell during the “Running of the Pierogis” race at Light Up Night last year. @colin_dunlap called the lawsuit frivolous on his show earlier today. pic.twitter.com/aRLlO7Koe4
— 100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA (@KDKARadio) March 19, 2025
The lawsuit goes on to say she has endured, and continues to endure, great pain from the incident, “suffering embarrassment, mental anguish, monetary expenditures for the care of her injury, in addition to emotional and psychological trauma.”
The Running of the Pierogis is a Pittsburgh staple that combines two of Pittsburgh’s favourite things—pierogies and sports. At the end of the fifth inning, the pierogies take the field and run a 250-metre race against three or four other people, who are also dressed up as pierogies. In this case, Brown was hired to do the race at Pittsburgh’s Light Up Night, an annual holiday festival in the city’s downtown.
In the lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Associates, which has offices at PNC Park, Brown alleges that an “unsecured wet and slippery rubber mat” was placed at the beginning of the race, causing her to lose her balance and fall. She claims she suffered multiple injuries from the fall and may have to have one or more surgeries.
She claims the incident continues to impact her physical, emotional and psychological health, and is demanding a jury trial.
