Did Pokemon hunting cause a downtown Wichita crash? The deputy hurt thinks so
Trying to “catch ‘em all” on popular smartphone app Pokemon Go could prove costly for a Derby man ticketed for a crash that hurt an off-duty Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy not long after the game’s release.
The deputy, Angeligue Farris, is seeking more than $75,000 in damages from David Cardona, who she contends in a new lawsuit was “hunting Pokemon” when he turned into her Jeep shortly before midnight on Aug. 26, 2016, in downtown Wichita.
The crash happened at Second and Waco — not far from locations considered hotspots for finding the animal- and plant-like monsters featured in the game, including the Keeper of the Plains and along the banks of the Arkansas River. The augmented reality app, released in the U.S. in July 2016, makes the fictional critters appear as if they are in the real world when a player looks at a smartphone screen.
A Wichita police officer who investigated the crash cited Cardona for failing to yield right of way to another driver as he made a left turn.
The collision hurt Farris’ left arm, neck and back and caused a hip injury that made wearing her utility belt while she worked at the Sedgwick County Jail problematic, Troy Gott, the Wichita attorney representing Farris in the suit, told The Eagle.
Farris was headed home from work when Cardona turned his 1999 Ford Mustang from northbound Waco onto westbound Second Street while she was driving her Jeep southbound through the intersection at about 11:30 p.m. She’s worked at the jail since 2000, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Timothy Myers said.
“Questions come to mind: Why would he be downtown at that hour of the night?” Gott said, referring to Cardona on the night of the collision.
“My client just is looking for reasonable compensation for the injuries she sustained,” he said. Cardona’s auto insurer refused to pay, he added.
Police records about the crash don’t say specifically what Cardona was doing when he hit Farris’ Jeep. They make no mention of Pokemon Go.
Farris’ attorney declined to say why he and his client think Cardona was playing the game. The lawsuit says the allegation is “based on information and belief.”
Reached through his Facebook page and by phone on Tuesday, Cardona said he wasn’t aware of the lawsuit and was hesitant to comment on it or talk about the crash because “I don’t know what I should be saying.”
He declined to answer questions about whether he was playing Pokemon Go when the collision happened and didn’t want to refer The Eagle to an attorney who might speak on his behalf. He had no attorney listed in court records.
Nathan Emmorey, the Wichita Municipal Court administrator, said Wednesday that Cardona paid the $122.50 ticket he was issued for the crash.
Since Pokemon Go’s release two years ago, reports of distracted players have prompted authorities, including Wichita police, to issue repeated safety warnings about the game.
In 2016, a driver slammed into a Baltimore, Md., police cruiser and two men fell off a 50- to 90-foot cliff in Encinitas, Calif., while they were engrossed in the app.
Players have also wandered into traffic, tumbled down stairs, slipped into ditches and caused several distracted-driving crashes, according to news reports.
This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 6:34 PM.