Updated on: 11/19/2019
It’s the hottest game of the summer, and health advocates are praising it for helping players get off the couch, into public parks, and even out of hospital beds. But even though the game rewards walking between destinations, some players are trying to cheat by catching monsters behind the wheels of their cars.
Auburn, NY: Emergency responders arrived at the scene of a single-car accident to find that a driver had crashed into a tree. He had a broken ankle; no one else was injured in the crash. The driver admitted that he had been playing Pokemon Go on his phone while he was driving.
Baltimore, MA: A distracted driver crashed into a parked police patrol car while playing Pokemon Go. The accident was capture on a police officer’s body camera. “That's what I get for playing this dumb [explicit] game," the distracted driver told the officers after the crash. No injuries were reported.
Rehoboth Beach, DE: Another driver crashed into a police patrol car as a result of the game. In this incident, the driver was not playing, but his wife was and she told him to pull into a median parking spot so that she could reach a nearby gym. The driver failed to check his surroundings; he was cited for inattentive driving and improper turn. No injuries were reported.
Verona, WI: A man struck a pole while playing Pokemon Go. Police officers who arrived at the scene found that he was also intoxicated. He was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Verona, WI: A second driver in Verona was found to be both drunk and distracted by Pokemon Go after an early morning crash. His car caught on fire after he drove off the road and ran into a tree; he was hospitalized with minor injuries.
Fall City, WA: A driver was travelling over the speed limit when he rear-ended the back of another car that was stopped to make a left turn. He admitted that he had been distracted by the Pokemon Go app at the time of the crash.
Pittsburgh, PA: A 15-year-old girl was hit by a car at a busy, dangerous intersection while playing the game. Her mother believes that she would not have been in the area if she had not been playing the game.
Toowoomba, Australia: A car repairman reported that a woman had taken her vehicle in for repair after backing into another vehicle while playing Pokemon Go. No injuries were reported and the repairman told reporters that the damage was minor.
Quebec City, Canada: A driver reversed into a police cruiser while playing Pokemon Go, which had not yet been officially released in Canada. Two police officers were injured.