Woman drinks so much water she dies (wii related)

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Woman drinks so much water she dies

• Woman, 28, dies of water intoxication, assistant coroner says
• Radio contest required drinking large amounts, not voiding
• Victim was trying to win video game console for her children

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) -- A woman who competed in a radio station's contest to see how much water she could drink without going to the bathroom died of water intoxication, the coroner's office said Saturday.

Jennifer Strange, 28, was found dead Friday in her suburban Rancho Cordova home hours after taking part in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest in which KDND 107.9 promised a Nintendo Wii video game system for the winner.

"She said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad," said Laura Rios, one of Strange's co-workers at Radiological Associates of Sacramento. "She was crying, and that was the last that anyone had heard from her."

It was not immediately known how much water Strange consumed.

A preliminary investigation found evidence "consistent with a water intoxication death," said assistant Coroner Ed Smith.

John Geary, vice president and marketing manager for Entercom Sacramento, the station's owner, said station personnel were stunned when they heard of Strange's death.

"We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred," he said.

Initially, contestants were handed 8-ounce bottles of water to drink every 15 minutes.

"They were small little half-pint bottles, so we thought it was going to be easy," said fellow contestant James Ybarra of Woodland. "They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk."

Ybarra said he quit after drinking five bottles. "My bladder couldn't handle it anymore," he added.

After he quit, he said, the remaining contestants, including Strange, were given even bigger bottles to drink.

"I was talking to her and she was a nice lady," Ybarra said. "She was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for her kids."
Click to expand...
 
whats that smell?????? oh yes it a lawsuit coming on.

that sucks for her . never knew you could die from too much water. i heard of drowning but intoxication that seems strange
 
[quote name='ahmedmalik']Was she... wii-tarded?[/QUOTE]

Not funny.

That radio station is pretty stupid for hosting that type of contest...
 
[quote name='nonggame']ummm but she stupid enough to enter.[/quote]

stupid?

On the surface, it sounds like an innocent contest, and she was trying to do something nice for her kids.

They need to sue the hell out of them. Won't help the kids any though.
 
What I'm interested in is whether or not the radio station consulted a physician before doing this contest. I would assume if they had, they would have been told that it was medically unsafe. I'm also interested as to whether or not the participants had to sign waivers...

Very tragic situation for those kids. :cry:
 
take this a warning. it IS possible to overhydrate yourself. the salt content in your body can drop dangerously low. same thing happened to a runner in the boston marathon a few years back. i saw this on a few other boards and anybody who calls the woman stupid is heartless because she was just trying to do something nice for her kids, get them something which she probably didn't have enough money to buy, and calling her stupid doesn't make sense since you probably didnt know that you could die from drinking too much water either. its the radio station's fault for not knowing the health and medical conditions that go with over-hydration. they deserve to get sued and the kids are fully justified in getting a large settlement.
 
[quote name='ahmedmalik']Was she... wii-tarded?[/QUOTE]

Totally uncalled for. She was someone's mother, someone's daughter, someone's friend.
 
Wow that's weird... This must vary on the person a lot, cause apparently she got 2nd, meaning the winner drank more and was just fine. I don't really think you can drink to much water though...unless you like hold your bladder so much you kill yourself or something whacked like that.
 
ok first of all this is a very sad thing to happen to the kids and all
but this woman is dumb, if you are going to do a contest for something that sounds too good to be true arent you going to look into a bit?
in an age of information being at our finger tips maybe she should have done a bit of homework before drinking gallons of water so quickly.
also the djs were incredibly stupid for letting it get to that point, sue their asses and any 'expert' they consulted who said it would be ok.

a bunch of re-re's all around if you ask me
 
How is that "too good to be true?" Radio stations do contests like that all the time, it's not like the people she was competing against died too. It's an accident, she didn't see it coming, nor should she have.

And Spades, you can drink too much water. It doesn't have anything to do with bladders or kidneys bursting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
 
I dont think she should be able to sue anyone for anything. People sue over whatever reason they can think of, its so stupid. She VERY WILLINGLY came up and was probably super stoked to be in that contest. Something bad happened. Just like stuff that happens everyday. I wouldnt really consider the radio station responsible. Its not like they claim to be doctors. I dont think someone should be able to sue someone for something they were put up to but were uninformed enough to do. If that was the case the majority of people in jail would be sueing their friends.
 
I'm sure that she had to sign some kind of waiver stating that the radio station has no legal liability in the event of death during a contest.

Still, I feel bad for the kids. They are the ones who are going to lose the most out of this.
 
[quote name='getmyrunon']Not funny.

That radio station is pretty stupid for hosting that type of contest...[/quote]my bar used to hold a bladder buster contest. all drinks were 1 dollar until someone pissed. it was great. no one ever died. this is a fluke tragedy that could have been avoided with proper precautions that the radio station didnt take.( a tablespoon of salt would have aleviated the problem). the radio station was ignorant of the dangers as were the contestants. ultimately, the station will be held responsible.
 
[quote name='luisc']take this a warning. it IS possible to overhydrate yourself. the salt content in your body can drop dangerously low. same thing happened to a runner in the boston marathon a few years back. i saw this on a few other boards and anybody who calls the woman stupid is heartless because she was just trying to do something nice for her kids, get them something which she probably didn't have enough money to buy, and calling her stupid doesn't make sense since you probably didnt know that you could die from drinking too much water either. its the radio station's fault for not knowing the health and medical conditions that go with over-hydration. they deserve to get sued and the kids are fully justified in getting a large settlement.[/quote]

radio station should not be the scapegoat for this incident. yeah its a tragedy, but a fluke tragedy at that. next time someone dies cuz an airbag deployed and that was the cause of death, i hope the victims family sues the motor company that manufactured the vehicle, cuz it would be there fault. no settlement will take away the pain or the loss of what happened, but dragging this on and on, hoping that some lump some of $$$ will make it all better, is a waste of time and shines a dark light on the way society handles issues such as this
 
[quote name='Tenchi-kun']I'm sure that she had to sign some kind of waiver stating that the radio station has no legal liability in the event of death during a contest.

Still, I feel bad for the kids. They are the ones who are going to lose the most out of this.[/QUOTE]


Even if she did sign a waiver, I don't think waivers like that actually make it that much harder to sue.
 
[quote name='starman9000']Even if she did sign a waiver, I don't think waivers like that actually make it that much harder to sue.[/QUOTE]

Sure they do, what would be the point of signing one otherwise??
 
[quote name='keithp']Sure they do, what would be the point of signing one otherwise??[/quote]waivers, like prenuptual agreements dont mean jack squat anymore.
 
[quote name='thagoat']waivers, like prenuptual agreements dont mean jack squat anymore.[/QUOTE]

Tell that to Michael Strahan!
 
[quote name='crushtopher']no settlement will take away the pain or the loss of what happened, but dragging this on and on, hoping that some lump some of $$$ will make it all better, is a waste of time and shines a dark light on the way society handles issues such as this[/QUOTE]

Exactly. It is a tragedy, to be sure, and I'm not going to place the blame completely on the woman, but neither will I put it all on the radio station. Sure, the radio DJ's should have done research before starting the contest, but the contestant should have done the same.

"Another thing you can do to prevent bladder infections, whether you're a male or female, is to go to the bathroom to empty your bladder frequently. Avoid holding your urine for long periods of time. "

A quick google search, and I find holding in urine can lead to bladder infections. That right there tells me this contest is a bad idea, and for my own health, I should not be a participant. So, while a tragic situation, I'm going to be pissed when the inevitable lawsuit comes around. No amount of money you demand from the radio station is going to bring your mother back, so a lawsuit at this point is for purely selfish reasons. I sincerely hope waivers were signed.
 
Gee, do you people not have any kids? Yeah, sure, of course no amount of money is going to bring back the mother. But it sure as hell can help account for some of the lost income she would have brought in during the time she raised her kids. I'm not coming down on either side of it (though I think it is the radio station's responsibility to have done the necessary work to find out the salt would have been a good idea - so I can definitely see where there might be a case here relative to other suits we hear about). But you are kidding yourselves if you don't think the family (and the KIDS in particular) can't use some money to help with the loss of their mother. And I don't mean that in a "pain and suffering" way, I mean that in a very practical food and clothing and daycare sort of way.

And bringing up bladder infections is neither here nor there - she didn't die from an acute bladder infection. That is the result of a continuously full bladder (ie, repeated, long-term stress), not a one-time thing like this contest.
 
We can't even go to the local weight training, swimming pool, skiing resort, and wall-climbing facilities without signing and initialing a waiver form which does go over risks and death and the fact that you go in willingly by your own judgement.

I can guarantee that the radio station will have a good lawyer and will not be touched.

It's a tragedy. Things like this do happen but the radio station should not be blamed because she was in the position in which she can say "No, I quit" at any time.

What should happen if a man accidentally and tragically hits a tree while skiing and they find out he has 4 kids? Should they be given $250,000 or $500,000? Maybe $1,000,000? Yes, if it was the fault of the ski resort but in this case, that is why they have waivers to cover their back door. Like I said, it's tragic, I feel for the kids. But this isn't as simple as a "Your mom came to my radio station to have a meeting and slipped off our soapy stairs and died." situation.

The radio station should have a big-ass fundraiser and food/clothing drive for the kids. THat would be the right thing to do.
 
[quote name='thagoat']my bar used to hold a bladder buster contest. all drinks were 1 dollar until someone pissed. it was great. no one ever died. this is a fluke tragedy that could have been avoided with proper precautions that the radio station didnt take.( a tablespoon of salt would have aleviated the problem). the radio station was ignorant of the dangers as were the contestants. ultimately, the station will be held responsible.[/QUOTE]I totally agree. I don't like frivolous lawsuits either, but I think the station should be liable for encouraging dangerous behavior with no safety precautions.
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']I totally agree. I don't like frivolous lawsuits either, but I think the station should be liable for encouraging dangerous behavior with no safety precautions.[/QUOTE]

This is basically what I'm saying here. This is totally different than someone slipping on stairs or even a skiing accident. I'm not saying the kids DESERVE to get it no matter what, I'm just getting on people for putting down the family SHOULD THEY CHOOSE TO GO THIS ROUTE (which we don't even know, do we?). The reason for suing wouldn't be to "bring the mom back to life" as some of you ridiculed - it would simply be to help pay for her lost income. This has nothing to do with the merits of the case which would be heard in court. If it is frivolous, it will get tossed out (though what thagoat points out indicates that there is a shred of merit here, anyway). There's far fewer of these big-money frivolous lawsuits that ACTUALLY get paid out than people think. Yes, people file them, yes, talk radio harps on them, but in the end they aren't that big a deal.
 
io has a point; the radio station should do something, whether they want to or not, to help out the kids of that mom. She was willing to truly go the distance for her kids, and sadly died for it.
 
The issue here is that you drop your salt concentrations and essentially reverse the natural diffusion of ions into/out of your cells. Too much water outside the cells drops the concentration and reverses the diffusion gradient.

Not water drinks contain more ions than just water. Hell, a glass full of 100% pure water would kill you by the time it got to your stomach. The body's chemistry is pretty sensitive. The reason she died while the winner lived is because she was smaller from the reports that I've heard. I would guess a guy or large woman probably won.

Anyone who thinks the radio station doesn't deserve a lawsuit is out of their mind. I think it might be illegal to hold a contest where the contestants have to do something which has death as a direct consequence. Any doctor would you tell this should never ever be tried at all. I personally hope whoever came up with the contest goes to jail.
 
Anyone who thinks the radio station is not to blame here is a jackass, pure and simple.

Although frankly I think you have to be pretty dumb to listen to a radio show like that, but you shouldn't be killed for it.

Remember, the station was doing this for their own benefit.
 
Here's an older article with comments from two other contestants:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16466226.htm
I mean, a nurse called in and commented about how what they were doing was dangerous, and they ignored her. One of the contestants vomited right after their last bottle at the station... and they still kept going. The waivers "addressed only publicity issues and made no mention of health or safety concerns". In another article, the winner said they also felt sick and vomited afterwards.
 
10 people fired now. From Gamestop:

Wii-contest radio station fires 10 staff

KDND 107.9's Morning Rave off air indefinitely after the death of a woman in a water-drinking competition.
By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK
Posted Jan 17, 2007 3:56 am PT

A California radio station has fired 10 employees, including five on-air personalities, after Jennifer Strange, a mother of three, died following her participation in a "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" competition, reports the Sacramento Bee. The 28-year-old died of water intoxication, having consumed an estimated two gallons of water in an attempt to win a Nintendo console for her children. The winner of the contest was to be the person who managed to drink the most water without going to the bathroom.

Strange called into her office after the show and told a coworker that she had a "really bad" headache and would be going straight home. She was found dead in her Rancho Cordova home on Friday afternoon by her mother, who had gone to check on her after being contacted by the concerned coworker.

The DJs had made comments joking about people dying from water intoxication during the show, according to the Sacramento Bee. There was even a discussion about a "poor kid in college"--presumably Matthew Carrington, who also died from water intoxication after a fraternity hazing ritual. One person dismissed the link by saying, "Yeah, well, he was doing other things." During the show, one DJ also admitted, "Maybe we should have researched this."

Two hours into the contest, a female caller, who identified herself as Eva, phoned in to warn the radio station that drinking too much water can kill. She said, "Those people that are drinking all that water can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication." One DJ replied, "We are aware of that," while another added, "They signed releases, so we're not responsible. It's OK."

Twenty contestants took part in the competition, including Strange, who was the runner-up. Other participants said that they became concerned when one woman lay on the ground, with her teeth chattering, and looking pale. At one point Strange was lying on the ground but told staff that she "could probably drink more" if someone could pick her up.

Despite the sackings, the Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness said that there would not be a criminal investigation. He said, "It's not as if she was somehow in their custody and they had a role to care for her. Rather, it was an invitation to a contest that was clearly ill-advised. She was exercising her free will."

A notice on the radio station's Web site stated that an investigation was underway. It reads, "First and foremost, our thoughts and sympathies go out to Jennifer's family and loved ones. I also want to assure you that the circumstances regarding this matter are being examined as thoroughly as possible. We are doing everything we can to deal with this difficult situation in a manner that is both respectful and responsible."

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164262.html
 
[quote name='porieux']Anyone who thinks the radio station is not to blame here is a jackass, pure and simple.

Although frankly I think you have to be pretty dumb to listen to a radio show like that, but you shouldn't be killed for it.

Remember, the station was doing this for their own benefit.[/QUOTE]

Call me a jackass, because its not 100% the radio stations fault. Personally, I have no sympathy for someone who isnt smart enough to avoid poisoning themselves.

The mother can certainly be acused of contributory negligence on her own part. The most recently posted story showed that this woman asked to be propped back up for more water.

It will be interesting to see how this works out legally, as waivers cannot completely waive the radio stations negligence either. It wont be criminal, but rather civil in scope.

One final note, the radio station could have avoided this problem had the contest had been to just drink a smaller amount of ice water or cold beer and just hold their bladders. Of course, knowning morning radio, the chugging portions make for better radio than just waiting.
 
Yeah let's live in a society where it's ok to trick people into killing themselves (or lose their life's savings, etc etc) for your own personal gain. Hey, as long as they did it of their own 'free will' no problemo right? Don't think you are immune, anyone can get scammed in the right situation.
 
Manslaughter Charges In Water-Drinking Contest?

The Sacramento sheriff's office is investigating the possibility of criminal manslaughter charges on behalf of Jennifer Strange, who died last Friday in the water-drinking contest on Entercom CHR/top 40 KDND (107.9 The End)/Sacramento. Sheriff John McGinness told the Sacramento Bee that he will meet with officials from the DA's office this afternoon to take a closer look at Strange's death.


Initially, McGinness said that he didn't think a criminal case would take place since Strange freely took part in the contest, but having reviewed tapes of the show in question -- during which the Morning Rave­ were warned of and then dismissed the potential dangers of water intoxication on the air -- he thinks there may be the potential for a criminal case.
 
[quote name='schuerm26']Manslaughter Charges In Water-Drinking Contest?

The Sacramento sheriff's office is investigating the possibility of criminal manslaughter charges on behalf of Jennifer Strange, who died last Friday in the water-drinking contest on Entercom CHR/top 40 KDND (107.9 The End)/Sacramento. Sheriff John McGinness told the Sacramento Bee that he will meet with officials from the DA's office this afternoon to take a closer look at Strange's death.


Initially, McGinness said that he didn't think a criminal case would take place since Strange freely took part in the contest, but having reviewed tapes of the show in question -- during which the Morning Rave­ were warned of and then dismissed the potential dangers of water intoxication on the air -- he thinks there may be the potential for a criminal case.[/quote]

After listening to the clip, they didn't dismiss the danger, they acknowledged it, and then proceeded to state that the contestants had signed a waiver.
 
Oh you know someone is going to take this to court. Hell if I care, I hope those poor kids get some cash though. No amount of money will make up for the loss of their mom though. Its not like she knowingly killed herself, she was just pushing herself hard to be the winner and maybe snag a system for the kids. Those kids are the real losers. Sad story.

I am hearing that some of the former and current workers at the station are on air making fun of the lady after she died. I hope someone beats the fuck out of them for shit like that. Might just be a roomer since I have not heard the actual recording but if true thats dam low.
 
I can't believe people are bashing this lady. Sure, she was foolish to keep going like she did, but there were mixed messages about the danger present. That should have been up front, and it sure doesn't sound like it was.

If you're going to hold a contest, you should do some research into possible risks. Sure, the contestants should have as well, but for the contest-makers, it's just inexcusable and negligent.
 
[quote name='BREVITY']
I am hearing that some of the former and current workers at the station are on air making fun of the lady after she died. I hope someone beats the fuck out of them for shit like that. Might just be a roomer since I have not heard the actual recording but if true thats dam low.[/QUOTE]

I thought they got fired? With a possible criminal investigation this
seems unlikely, but then again those DJs are pretty fuckcking stupid, clearly.
 
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