TARENTUM, Pa. – The mother of a Pennsylvania high schooler is blaming her daughter’s injuries on Pokemon Go, and she’s warning other parents about the perils of the mega-popular augmented reality game.
“She said, ‘Mom, I heard about this ‘Pokemon Go,’ and I want to play it. Give me your phone,” Tracy Nolan, mother of Highlands High School student Autumn Diesroth told WPXI.
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Nolan said she was reluctant, but handed over her phone.
Within a half hour, around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, the 15-year-old was struck by a car near the intersection of Ross Street and East Ninth Avenue in Tarentum while attempting to cross.
“The Pokemon game took her across a major highway at 5 o’clock in the evening, which is rush hour,” Nolan said. “No game is worth a child’s life.”
Diesroth reportedly told her mother she looked across the road before dashing across, but was struck by a car anyway. The girl told her mother she flipped three times and landed on the ground.
A motorist stopped and held Diesroth’s hand while she waited for an ambulance, Nolan said.
She remains hospitalized with collarbone and foot injuries, as well as cuts and bruises.
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“Parents, don’t let your kids play this game because you don’t want to go through what I went through last night,” Nolan said. “I really thought I was going to lose my daughter.”
A spokesman with the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC told WPXI that Diesroth is among “a few” patients who have come in with Pokemon Go-related injuries.
Police believe the game is partially to blame for traffic accident at Texas A&M on Monday.
“7/11 – Traffic accident: Illegally parked car struck from behind (*Airbags deployed in 2nd car). 1st driver had exited to catch a Pokemon,” Texas A&M Police posted to Twitter Tuesday evening.
NBC News reports:
In the past week, a 19-year-old in Wyoming discovered a body floating in the local river, two players in Washington stumbled upon a loaded gun in a field, four players were mugged in Missouri, and two players were robbed in a California park — all while playing the game.
The situation has forced police and other agencies across the country – from city law enforcement departments in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and others to the National Parks Association – to issue warning about the potential dangers of Pokemon Go.
Authorities suggest that players:
- Be alert at all times
- Stay aware of your surroundings
- Play in pairs or as a group in well-lit areas to ensure your safety
- Do not drive or ride your bike, skateboard, or other device while interacting with the app – “you can’t do both safely”
- Do not trespass onto private property or go to areas you usually would not if you weren’t playing Pokémon Go
- Be cautious of being lured into a bad situation


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