title: Pedestrian Inattention Blindness While Playing Pokémon Go as an Emerging Health-Risk Behavior: A Case Report.
abstract: Cases of trauma resulting from the use of mobile phones while driving motor vehicles have become quite common in recent years. Road injuries incurred by people playing video games on mobile phones (or other media devices) while walking have also become a cause for concern. Pokémon Go has been the world's most popular game since it was launched in July 2016, with more than 15 million players trying to catch all Pokémon available in the game; however, the case detailed here is the first reported accident in the medical literature caused by a pedestrian distracted by the game while crossing a street.
  
  
  
  We aim to provide additional information on the innovative nature of distractions that generate risks in road-users, and to explore the underreporting of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions due to mobile device usage.
  
  
  
  We included in this case report a 25-year-old male who suddenly crossed a road while playing Pokémon Go and was hit by a van, reporting several injuries and being assisted by the Emergency Medical Service of our hospital (Padova, Italy). The patient's history, the circumstances in which the collision happened, imaging data, and clinical course information were recorded per our hospital's privacy policy.
  
  
  
  The patient hit by the van was playing Pokémon Go on his mobile phone while crossing a street, despite red traffic lights, which he did not notice due to of the distraction induced by the game.
  
  
  
  Mobile videogames that imply movement (ie, walking, running, cycling) to play are an effective way to improve physical activity practice, especially in adolescents and young adults. Nevertheless, cases like the one presented here point out that these games could pose a significant risk to users who play while walking, cycling, or driving in unsafe areas such as city streets, because players become distracted and may ignore surrounding hazards. Comprehensive, multilevel interventions are needed to reduce accidents caused by distraction, and to stress findings on the positive and negative effects of video games, which are becoming a source of public health concern. Health care providers should be aware of their chief role in these possible prevention strategies, based on their direct interactions with road incident victims.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urgent and Emergency Care, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.|Preventive Medicine and Risk Assessment, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.|Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3829-5233
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Urgent and Emergency Care, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianna
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2855-0728
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vettore
authors.affiliation: Department of Urgent and Emergency Care, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3403-3233
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pietrantonio
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4769-9720
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Snenghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Urgent and Emergency Care, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9124-745X
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tredese
authors.affiliation: Preventive Medicine and Risk Assessment, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0931-4810
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergamini
authors.affiliation: Preventive Medicine and Risk Assessment, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4229-1486
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Previato
authors.affiliation: Preventive Medicine and Risk Assessment, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6094-3439
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stefanati
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa Maria
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1003-4007
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gaudio
authors.affiliation: Department of Urgent and Emergency Care, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1596-6014
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Feltracco
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D000071826:Distracted Driving; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000069636:Pedestrians / Q000523:psychology*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D018910:Video Games / Q000009:adverse effects*
keywords: Pokémon Go; motor vehicle collisions; multiple trauma; pedestrians; road injuries; traffic accidents; videogames