One female died and another was hurt in what Japanese police are calling the very first deadly accident in the country involving the smart device video game “Pokémon Go.”
Cops in Tokushima, on the island of Shikoku in western Japan, stated a vehicle raked into the 2 females on Tuesday night as they crossed the street. The crash broke one female’s neck, eliminating her, while the other woman suffered a damaged hip.
Regional authorities said the driver of the car informed them that he wasn’t looking ahead since he was playing “Pokémon Go,” a video game that involves catching animated animals relatively superimposed on the real life when looking through a smartphone’s video camera.
It was the first death caused by an accident associated to “Pokémon Go” in Japan, the National Police Agency stated.
Overall, the company said there have actually been 79 accidents from the time when augmented-reality video game was introduced in Japan on July 22, of which 22 resulted in injuries. In addition, more than 1,000 people have actually been given citations for playing the game in unsafe ways, such as while driving a car or riding a bike, the agency stated.
Niantic Inc. and Pokémon Co., which established the game, expressed acknowledgements to the household of the female who was eliminated. They prompted users to be conscious of security when playing.
The game itself alerts users: “Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings.” A new update included messaging against driving while playing.
