No way to die: Lawsuit alleges radio contest killed woman

[babylonsister]

Survivors say stunt left them twisted
By Sam Stanton
Published: Monday, Aug. 10, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, Aug. 10, 2009 - 9:33 am



One woman who took part says the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest left her with a fear of water, and that she can no longer listen to the radio.

Another contestant says she has gained 60 pounds and suffers from irrational mood swings.

A third worries about her own mortality, "like I am destined to die young, maybe at my own hand."

Fallout from the January 2007 contest that left one contestant dead sparked media coverage worldwide – notoriety that's likely to resume Aug. 31, when a civil trial is set to begin.

The trial centers on the death of a 28-year-old mother of three, Jennifer Strange, who died after drinking massive amounts of water during a contest on Sacramento radio station The End (KDND, 107.9 FM) to win a Nintendo Wii game console.

Court documents show how the case unfolded.

Since the contest, the radio station's owners have fired 10 people, including the DJs involved; Strange's fellow contestants developed what they say is an irrational fear of water and sued the broadcaster; Strange's husband and children filed their own wrongful-death suit; and lawyers involved have submitted thousands of pages of claims and counterclaims.

more...

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2095821.html

[alsame]

1. I must be old. I remember when radio stations just

played music.

[gratuitous]

18. Clearly you have blocked out

The Great "Name It and Claim It" Massacre of 1972, when 13 people died trying to call in to win a 45 single of Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Candy Man." It all seemed like harmless fun until the bodies began hitting the floor. Oh, the humanity!

[alsame]

24. ROFL! nt

[Lerkfish]

2. The stupid thing is, you KNOW this had to be the owner's idea or approved by him

and the marketing dept. To fire the DJs is scapegoating.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

42. of course!! DJ's don't invent and arrange business sponsorships!

fucking culture of corporate lies. :mad:

[HopeHoops]

3. The Jennifer Strange case is sad. Water toxicity is very real and it killed her.

I know it sounds like a frat house game, but large quantities of water are just as deadly as vodka. It isn't a joke and it isn't frivolous. That's what killed the poor woman. All for some stupid radio station contest.

[Milspec]

22. Sad yes

the the stupid was all here's

[quiet.american]

4. I was just thinking of this case the other day.... what a tragedy. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. I remember this story. Didn't know the case was still winding thru the courts

[pinniped]

6. When I drink a 500 mL bottle of water without stopping, this crazy contest....

always comes to mind. And I wasn't even a contestant.

[Rex]

7. People will do anything, I swear so stupid - amazing humans have made it this far..

[TexasObserver]

8. No doubt she died from the water infusion.

It was a very irresponsible contest. The family will win big if it's not settled.

[customerserviceguy]

19. Not if I'm on the jury

I wouldn't give a dime to anyone who jumped out of an airplane, either.

[TexasObserver]

21. You won't be, so neither of us have to worry about that happening.

People unable to follow the judge's instructions are removed from the jury pool. You would be removed for bias and for your inability to follow the judge's instructions.

Or, you might be discharged for lacking the acuity necessary. It's a low bar, but there is one.

[ret5hd]

35. snap!

[underseasurveyor]

38. Double snap!

heh

[Chemisse]

29. A lot of people don't realize you can die from too much water

I don't blame the poor woman at all.

[slutticus]

32. But can you blame anyone here?

Water toxicity is very real...but not many people know about it. I suspect that a lot of the people who are calling for the heads of the radio guys didn't know about this either until this case.

On edit: just read your post about the nurse calling in. I hadn't heard that...but that is a significant piece of info if true. Does anyone have a clip of that call?

[Chemisse]

34. Here is a link to the nurse-calling in part of the story

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/woman-dies-after-water-drinking-contest

http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=011507_water_intoxication.htm

[flvegan]

9. All this for a game console?

Sad.

[valerief]

10. Any moron who would drink massive amounts of waters deserves to be

out of the gene pool.

[greguganus]

15. But..but...it was for a Wii!! n/t

[valerief]

16. You can't play a Wii when you're dead. nt

[customerserviceguy]

20. Yes, you can!

They have them in Heaven!

Now, if you wake up, and there's an X-box, well, you'll know you really fucked up your karma...

[Joe Bacon]

41. Sorry, I'd rather wee wee than Wii

Why is it that every day there seem to be more and more people deserving of Darwin awards?

[BlueIris]

44. You're on the wrong site, I think. nt

[Tangerine LaBamba]

11. Just when I think people can not possibly

achieve any greater levels of stupidity, I am surprised.

Unbelievable....................

[monmouth]

12. I'm really trying to find sympathy/empathy here....nope, stupid doesn't

bring it forward. I mean, really....

[Strong Atheist]

13. Darwin award. nt.

[orestes]

26. Nope.

[Strong Atheist]

27. Well, not technically, but she could have reproduce MORE... nt.

[Barack_America]

14. I knew it was going to be this case. Good for her family.

The radio station was grossly negligent. I'm disappointed that criminal charges were not pursued.

[Hepburn]

17. Interesting info:

"Entercom fired 10 people after the contest, including the air talents involved and PD Steven Weed. Weed sued for wrongful termination and, the Bee reports, rejected an Entercom offer not to claim its attorney's fees if he would drop the case. Entercom won in court, and Weed has been ordered to pay nearly $50,000 in fees."

http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=1450478&spid=24698

[Ron Green]

23. Sounds like there was plenty of stupid to go around.

Not only ought people to be careful with their own behavior, but people in control of a media microphone ought to know the difference between right and wrong as well.

[bertman]

25. It's likely that the media people had no frickin clue that drinking so much water could kill you.

They probably thought it just sounded like a great idea for a contest. Well, it wasn't.

Flagpole sitting?? Anyone ever hear of that?

How about eating goldfish? Or seeing how many people could jam into a VW bug?

Life is infested with the stupids. Some of us live through it. Some don't.

I'm going with Strong Atheist on this one: Darwin Award.

[Chemisse]

30. I recall reading at the time that a nurse called in and warned them of the danger

But they poo-poo'ed her.

So I think they are at fault. If they were ignorant beforehand, they should at least have paid attention when alerted.

[bertman]

40. I agree with you, Chemisse. Once they had been informed of the potential danger they

were obligated to determine if it was true, and if necessary, drop the idea.

[yurbud]

28. torn between thinking the DJs are jerks and contestants practicing voluntary natural selection

[Chemisse]

31. Why are these people suing?

One woman who took part says the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest left her with a fear of water, and that she can no longer listen to the radio.

Another contestant says she has gained 60 pounds and suffers from irrational mood swings.

A third worries about her own mortality, "like I am destined to die young, maybe at my own hand."



I feel terribly sorry for the woman who died, and think she has a case, but these people??!! I hate it when people hijack a legitimate lawsuit with their imaginary hangups. Get a shrink and deal with it!! Shit happens; you should be glad you did not die and leave the radio station alone.

[reflection]

33. Agreed. Those sound pretty weak.

Seems like a bit of coattail snatching going on.

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. I have a friend who is not very smart and one year on Groundhog's Day she was listening

to a station and they were throwing groundhogs off the roof of the station. And recording their squeals.

Yes, she believed it and called the ASPCA.

I think of that every time I hear about a radio station doing something stupid.

[Pharlo]

37. When I think of radio stations doing stupid things,

the first thing I think of is the Thanksgiving Turkey episode of 'WKRP in Cincinnati'.

[Ex Lurker]

39. This is an egregious example, but it's far from unique.

you hear about things like this over and over. I'm convinced that people in the radio business just aren't very intelligent.

[BlueIris]

43. I knew this would come back to haunt the station.

Good. Hope it pays through the nose.

[Rabrrrrrr]

45. I feel bad for the family, forced to live knowing that their mom/wife was so utterly fucking dumb

Probably won't even ever mention her again, for fear of having to tell people how she died.

"And you have her genes? Shit, boy, I ain't hiring you!"

Oh, wait, the family are suing - that means they can't possibly be embarrassed by the lack of cognitive capacity of their mom/wife.

Probably will raise more kids just like her.