Did the radio station kill this woman?

[DirtDawg]

This freaks me out a little. Woman dies from water poisoning ... Nine people fired, possible criminal charges to follow ...

Lots more out there, if you google for Jennifer Strange.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/13/water.intox.ap/index.html


http://www.zimbio.com/portal/Jennifer+Strange+Wii+Accident


http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/14/woman-dies-trying-to-win-a-wii/

WIKI info on water poisoning.

I started this thread rather provocatively titled, because there seems to be a huge body of discussion going on about the radio station being responsible. I would normally say, "Hell, no!", but there are some interesting circumstances, like the drive-time DJs joking about the possibility of someone dying from water poisoning during their contest, so they knew the dangers, to some degree.

Funny thing is that I often chug a half gallon of water without even taking another breath and then finish the rest of the gallon in the next few minutes, when I'm working outside in the summer. I consume two to three gallons of water almost every day. Am I going to die? (... of course not, but I suppose some people would.)

Was the radio station guilty of a crime? Was she just a dumbass? Does anyone take water poisoning seriously? Would you kill yourself trying to win a Wii?
Any comments?

[Callaway]

Her children are going to have to live with the knowledge that their mother died trying to win them a wii.

I'm glad the family is suing the radio station.

http://news.com.com/Family+sues+radio+station+in+Wii+contest+death/2100-1047_3-6151589.html

I have heard of someone dying of water intoxication before.  A 16 year old Colorado girl, Brittney Chambers, got an ecstasy pill from her friends for her birthday, she took it, and she died drinking so much water, because the ecstasy made her extremely thirsty.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/454653/detail.html

[McGiver]

i glanced at that article myself.

i would have never known that water could kill you.

i doubt the people at the radio station could have known.

[Lurk Hurk Gurk]

Was the radio station guilty of a crime? Was she just a dumbass? Does anyone take water poisoning seriously? Would you kill yourself trying to win a Wii?

1. Possibly; they were quite negligent, and could have prevented the death. Her responsibility for her own acts stands, though. 2. Darwin-award worthy. 3. I do. You'd have to drink far more than is comfortable for it to occur, though, so as long as you do not do anything stupid, there is little reason to worry. 4. No.

i would have never known that water could kill you.

There are few, in any, things that do not kill you in large enough amounts of consumption.

[purposefulinsanity]

The fact that drinking too much water can kill you was mentioned quite a lot over here when ecstasy use was at its peak.  Perhaps the radio station didn't know this but it seems to me that it would be common sense to get medical advice before running any competition that involves over-indulgence of any kind.

[El]

The DJs knew the danger.  They should get jail time.

I am pretty sure I've had non-lethal forms of water intoxication, so I was aware of this before, though I don't think I ever drank enough to do more than make me feel really sick.

[Peter]

Her children are going to have to live with the knowledge that their mother died trying to win them a wii.

I'm glad the family is suing the radio station.

http://news.com.com/Family+sues+radio+station+in+Wii+contest+death/2100-1047_3-6151589.html

I have heard of someone dying of water intoxication before.  A 16 year old Colorado girl, Brittney Chambers, got an ecstasy pill from her friends for her birthday, she took it, and she died drinking so much water, because the ecstasy made her extremely thirsty.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/454653/detail.html

There was a case some years ago in the UK where someone on ecstacy was encouraged to drink about 8 pints of water by their friends in the belief that it'd flush it out of her system or otherwise render it inert, but it just resulted in her dying from cerebral oedema, IIRC.

[Callaway]

The DJs were joking about Jennifer Strange's distended abdomen and also joked about the contest killing someone from water intoxication, so they certainly knew the dangers. 

http://news.com.com/Family+sues+radio+station+in+Wii+contest+death/2100-1047_3-6151589.html

The family of a California woman who died after participating in a radio station's water-drinking contest to win a Nintendo Wii will sue the station, their lawyer said on Thursday.

Jennifer Strange, 28, a mother of three, died from suspected water intoxication after taking part in Friday's competition, "Hold Your Wee for a Wii." About 20 people tried to out-drink each other without going to the bathroom.

Sacramento station KDND-FM responded by firing 10 staffers, including several DJs, and canceling the Morning Rave program. The DJs had joked about people dying from water intoxication and teased Strange about her distended stomach.

"The station knew this was a dangerous and potentially deadly stunt, but flippantly dismissed the dangers," lawyer Roger Dreyer said in a statement. "Hearing the tape (of the radio show), it's very clear they knew of the dangers and could foresee that this could lead to Jennifer's death."

I'm glad all three DJs were fired and the show cancelled.


Also, some California fraternity boy had just died less than a year ago from water intoxication as part of a fraternity initiation ritual.

http://www.newsreview.com/chico/Content?oid=oid%3A33779

Local authorities are still trying to piece together the events of the early-morning hours of Feb. 2 that led to the death of 21-year-old Chico State University student Matthew Carrington, while university officials are looking to prevent yet another senseless loss of one of the its students.

Carrington, a junior business major from Pleasant Hill, was pronounced dead at Enloe Medical Center after reportedly participating in a fraternity hazing ritual involving the consumption of large quantities of water while exercising in cold conditions.

[driftingblizzard]

This is also a danger to marathon runners.  Ending up with an electrolyte imbalance.

[DirtDawg]

The DJs were joking about Jennifer Strange's distended abdomen and also joked about the contest killing someone from water intoxication, so they certainly knew the dangers. 

Yeah, that's what changed my normal thinking. They knew the dangers to the contestants and made it part of the game. I hope they all get some jail time, too.