We all know that staring at a screen — whether it’s your smartphone, tablet, HDTV or computer monitor — for an extended period of time probably isn’t very good for our eyes. You’ve probably heard stories of gamers who spent way too much time at cyber cafes, much to the detriment of their physical health. But the level of physical harm “caused” by playing a game has never before been quite as newsworthy as what we’re seeing with Pokemon GO accidents. Real people are really getting hurt.
The game has only been out for a short while, only “officially” being made available in Canada yesterday for that matter, and yet we can’t skim through Facebook without reading about how yet another Pokemon GO player is seriously injured again. We’ve compiled some of the best stories of people who probably spent too much time flinging Poke Balls and not enough time watching where they’re going.
And that’s beyond the spooky factor of hanging out at a graveyard behind a strip club in search of a gym.
1. Watch Your Step
Because Pokemon GO uses augmented reality and it really does base its gameplay on your real world location, you might venture into places that you wouldn’t normally otherwise visit. Most of these are publicly accessible and there’s no real harm in you lounging out at the local park trying to catch an Eevee. There is harm if you decide to walk off the edge of a cliff though.
Two young men in California did exactly that. The news story doesn’t say exactly what they were doing, aside from playing Pokemon GO, but the two 20-somethings fell off the edge of a crumbling sandstone bluff in pursuit of something. One of them fell about 50 feet, while the other tumbled down about 90 feet. Both were taken to the hospital.
The things is that they didn’t just wander into that area by accident. Apparently, they climbed up and over a clearly marked fence that warned against the possibility of injury. Smart.
2. Thru Traffic Only
I guess he listened to some advice? If a jurisdiction doesn’t suggest you should avoid texting while driving, it has an outright ban on the practice. Distracted driving is a bad thing. So, what do you do when your smartphone vibrates telling you that a Pikachu is nearby? You abandon your car in the middle of the highway, of course!
On some highway in the glorious state of Massachusetts, Lamar Hickson was determined to catch them all, so he “put my car in park in started tossing these balls.” Evidently, this caused some major wreckage, but no one was seriously injured.
3. Look Both Ways
It’s not just drivers parking their cars in the middle of the highway that are causing all sorts of Pokemon GO-related anarchy. Sometimes, all it takes is a teenager wandering out into traffic to catch an elusive pocket monster. Autumn Deiseroth says she was “forced” to cross a four-lane road outside of Pittsburgh when she got hit by a car.
Distracted drivers? How about distracted pedestrians and Pokemon GO trainers too? If you’re out there trying to nab a Caterpie, a Nidoran or an Ekans, maybe you should check to see if there’s a car barreling down the road toward you first. The title of the article on ScaryMommy and the associated video both say that the “teen blames Pokemon Go for her traffic accident.” Somehow, I’m not so quick to say the game is to blame, even if it places a Pokemon in the middle of the street.
Guess what? The virtual Pokemon isn’t going to be hit by the real car, but you might.
4. This Is a Knife
Place a super rare Pokemon in a public area and you could start a stampede. In fact, you don’t even need anything all that rare, as gamers will flock to just about anywhere there is a PokeStop or an active lure. The thing is that the lures are attracting more than just Meowths and Rattatas.
In Manchester in the UK, three students were targeted in the app, lured to a location, and mugged for their phones at knifepoint. This happened at night in Hulme Park and, from what I can gather, the three students were otherwise unharmed.
I find this a little curious, as there’s no way for the muggers to know exactly what phone their prospective targets have or if they have anything else of value, but I suppose a lure can drive unsuspecting players to potentially dangerous locations.
5. Parental Guidance Is Suggested
This isn’t so much an actual “accident” or even a specific “incident,” but it is definitely worth mentioning. As a parent, I’ve become increasingly cognizant of these kinds of risks. Some people might say that “stranger danger” has been blown out in proportion in recent years, but police are warning parents that sexual predators could use Pokemon GO to lure you to a certain location.
This is similar to the robbery at knifepoint, but more in terms of children (or young women) who may become victims of bad guys up to nefarious things. What it meant to raise a kid in the 70s, 80s, or even the 90s is dramatically different from what it’s like now. This could potentially go further than the “sexting” and other online bullying we find through channels like Snapchat. Be careful out there!
6. The Forest for the Trees
If you’re going to drive around town hunting Pokemon, stopping your car in the middle of the highway is not a good idea. You also shouldn’t drive your car into a tree either. Steven Curry wrapped his younger brother’s car around a tree in the city of Auburn while chasing down the latest water-based addition to his Pokedex.
Apparently, he was cruising around when his phone jiggled to let him know that a “special” Pokemon was in the vicinity. In the moment it took for him to look down to check the notification, he careened off the road and barreled into a tree. Oh, and he’s an ex-Marine. I thought they taught focus?
It turned out that the “special” Pokemon was a Lapras, a Pokemon that you could say resembles the Loch Ness Monster, but that’s kind of beside the point. It would have been extra ironic if he had been careened off into a river or lake rather than into a tree, though.
7. Respect My Authoritah
It’s one thing to get caught by a speed trap as you barrel down the road at a few clicks above the posted speed limit. It’s another thing altogether when you decide to engage in a street race with your local constable.
Things didn’t quite elevate quite that far, but it’s almost just as ridiculous. Over in Quebec City, an unnamed driver was distracted playing Pokemon GO when he/she backed into a police cruiser, injuring the two officers seated inside. It’s hard to see where you’re going when you’re going backwards and staring at your screen, enamored by your Snorlax.
Police forces in other Canadian cities have warned “trainers” to stay safe in their Pokemon-catching adventures. The hashtag #DontCatchAndDrive was used by Edmonton police, for example.
8. I Must Have the Precious
It’s true. You’re probably going to find yourself in some rather strange locations in search of Pokemon. Sometimes, that’s a good thing. You can explore your neighborhood and see things that you’ve never seen before. Other times, it means calling into a special rescue time to dig you out of a rut.
That’s what happened when a group of four teenagers got themselves lost in a cave after meandering through an underground tunnel network. This was at the Boxfields Caves, which are located near Corsham, Wiltshire in the United Kingdom.
Believe it or not, there is no Smeagol Pokemon. But it did take three fire crews and two rope units, along with someone who had a key to a locked part of the cave, in order to rescue the intrepid teens after they phoned in for help.
9. Sk8r Boi, H8r Boi
It’s not just people riding around in their cars, leaving them on the way, driving them into trees, and backing them into police cruisers who are causing bodily harm. It’s those damn Tony Hawk types who are “shredding” around on guardrails and doing kickflips into Kabutos and Koffings too.
Skateboarders have hurt themselves while playing Pokemon GO, like Long Island communications graduate Mike Schultz. He got a little too distracted “cruising for critters” on his board when he bailed, cutting his hand on the sidewalk. He blames himself for going too slowly.
And you don’t even need wheels to get hurt. A North Carolina waitress tripped over a cinder block while walking in the rain. A Maine web designer twisted her ankle after falling on the sidewalk. Walking is hazardous to your health, apparently.
10. Return of the Mack
You know, Pokemon GO isn’t all bad. It’s actually convincing some gamers who would otherwise seclude themselves in the safe, climate-controlled environments of their basements to venture outside and walk around. Physical exercise can be a good thing. And then there’s the social aspect, letting you connect with other players.
But not everyone wants to connect with you. Blogger Maddy Myers is tired of guys hitting on her while playing Pokemon GO. She says that just because you’re playing the same game and going after the same pocket monsters doesn’t mean you can creepily follow her around and ask if she wants to go out to catch some Pokemon together sometime.
This isn’t really an “accident,” until someone really doesn’t take kindly to your unsolicited advances, coating your face in a Jigglypuff of pepper spray and driving her knee squarely into your crotch.