Vietnamese woman killed in Pokemon Go-related accident in Japan

By Bao Anh   August 28, 2016 | 08:13 pm PT
A car driver was glued to his mobile phone screen when he plowed into the woman.

A Vietnamese woman who was hit by a Japanese driver on August 11 while he was playing Pokemon Go succumbed to her injuries on August 25 in Aichi Prefecture.

The woman was knocked unconscious on a zebra crossing, local police in Japan’s central province reported.

The driver has been arrested on suspicion of negligence resulting in injury and death. The 26 year-old company official told investors: “Right before the accident, I was playing Pokemon Go and trying to charge my mobile phone, and the collisions happened when I was leaning down.”

vietnamese-woman-killed-in-pokemon-go-related-accident-in-japan

Pokemon Go players in Japan have triggered two fatal accidents within one week. Photo from japantimes.co.jp

This is the second fatal accident in Japan relating to Pokemon Go in a week. The first death was reported on August 24 in the city of Tokushima, the National Police Agency said.

The first case also involved a driver hitting two women while playing the game. One of the women, aged 72, died from her injuries, according to the International Business Times.

The game's developer Niantic has recently updated warnings telling users not to play while driving. They will also not respond if the GPS calculates that the phone is moving faster than walking pace.

A number of accidents caused by Pokemon Go players have occurred since it was released in Japan in July. The game encourages users to visit locations to scout for virtual creatures that appear superimposed on their smart phone screens. Typical cases involve players glued to their screens and ignorant of their surroundings.

Related news:

> Vietnamese province bans police from Pokemon Go amid security fears

> Vietnam wants Pokemon out of religious, historic sites

> Pokemon Go banned by Vietnamese companies

 
 
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