Ever since Pokemon Go has been announced in September of 2015, people can’t stop talking about it, and when it was released in certain countries weeks ago, people can’t stop playing it.
For those who don’t know, Pokemon Go is an augmented-reality video game app based on the popular TV series and card game.
It uses the phone’s GPS and camera to make Pokemons appear in real life surroundings. In an effort to catch as many Pokemons as they can, people travel to many different places.
Unfortunately, not all of these places are safe, just as this teen from Pittsburgh soon learned when, as she was trying to catch a Pokemon, she walked onto the highway and was hit by a car.
In an WTAE report, Autumn Deiseroth says that crossed a busy highway to capture a Pokemon at a nearby museum. After successfully doing it, she returned across the street and that was when an oncoming car slammed against her.
“To where it is set up, we have to cross roads to go get it," said Autumn. “I do, blame it.”
Thankfully she only suffered minor injuries and was released from the hospital after an overnight stay.
Meanwhile, Autumn’s mother Tracy said that children do not just simply cross highway for no reason, but suddenly this game has children crossing the highway to chase a Pokemon.
Tracy also said that the game caused her daughter to act out of character.
“When she called and said she got hit by a car, I blamed the game because she would not have been out of the house,” Tracy said. “My daughter is a hermit.”
Find out how Pokemon Go can be dangerous to its players
Pokemon Go and safety concerns
Many people love the game, some of them are even parents themselves, because it finally pushes their children to go outside and move around more.
However, because the game it extremely interactive and addictive, it leaves its players distracted, compromising their safety at high-traffic places.
According to a spokesperson for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Autumn wasn’t the first patient they had seen because of Pokemon Go.
In fact, Centers for Disease Control said that in the United States alone, at least eight people are killed daily, and 1,161 are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.
Add to this formula the number of distracted players glued to their mobile phones and the figures will only climb.
Autumn’s incident highlights the importance of safety when it comes to playing the game, especially for children who may easily get carried away and get lost inside the game.
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