Now here’s something you don’t see every day; normally, Grand Theft Auto is blamed for people being hurt or worse, not saving them.
Karen Norris, of Streator, will say no such thing. Not after her quick-witted 11-year-old daughter, Audrey Plique, sprung to the rescue of their family because a popular video game showed a potential danger of a vehicle rollover.
“She just knew, from playing ‘Grand Theft Auto.’ She saw on there that when a car rolls over, it can blow up. She knew that could happen to us,” Norris said.
About 9 p.m. Aug. 27, the family of five was en route to visit relatives in Diamond when Karen’s husband, Robert Norris Jr., felt lightheaded while driving on Route 113 about one-half mile east of Coal City. Their 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee drifted off the road while moving 55 to 60 mph, struck a guardrail and flipped four times before coming to rest on its side in the ditch. The roof of the vehicle caved in and the back window broke out.
“It was a pretty scary experience,” said Audrey, a fifth-grade student at Oakland Park School. — My Web Times
There’s more of the story in the link, but you have to love how My Web Times seems to have gone out of its way not to mention games in the title, even though it’s the focus of the first three paragraphs.
Petty nitpicking over non-gaming press aside, one must applaud Audrey for thinking and acting quickly, saving her family from such catastrophe. Here’s hoping that there are others who are able to take positive lessons away from games.
