"No Big Deal - Drink Water For A Nintendo Wii". That is exactly what 28-year old Jennifer Strange (mother of 3 kids) probably thought when she entered the "Hold Your Wee For A Wii" contest at Radio Station KDND 107.9 on January 12th in Sacremento, California. She wanted to please her kids by winning the much-sought-after Nintendo Wii Video Game Console. ("Wii" is pronounced as "We").
The premise was simple - win a water-drinking contest without having to use the bathroom and take home a Nintendo Wii to your family - "simple" that is, until she died.
About 18 Contestants were initially given 8-Oz bottles of water every 15 minutes to drink. "They were small little half-pint bottles, so we thought it was going to be easy," said fellow Contestant James Ybarra. He quit after only 5 bottles. "My bladder couldn't handle it anymore", he said. "They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk." After quitting, the remaining Contestants, including Jennifer Strange, were provided with even larger bottles of water to drink.
Eventually, she gave in and settled for the second-place prize: tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert. By that time, she may have consumed as much as 2 gallons of water (7.5 litres).
Assistant Coroner Ed Smith stated there was evidence "consistent with a water intoxication" in the death of Jennifer Strange. Shortly before she died, she told one of her Supervisors that her head was hurting really bad and she was also in tears.
Has anyone over at KDND 107.9 ever heard of a "small" search-engine named "GOOGLE"? Then why didn't anyone PROPERLY research the effects of water intoxication - or take the results of that research seriously? One of the top 3 results for "water intoxication" in Google shows "Too Much Water Can Kill You"! Try the search yourself. They should have also commissioned a doctor for medical advice on carrying out such a contest and have the doctor present during the event. Obviously, neither were done.
There is however, clear evidence that the on-air disc jockeys DID in fact know about the possible fatal nature of drinking too much water - a listener even called into the radio show to warn them. "Yeah, we're aware of that," one of the DJs responded. Another DJ said with a laugh "Yeah, they signed releases, so we're not responsible. We're OK." At one point, the DJs even alluded to a college student who died during a similar stunt in 2005! The Radio Station said its Staff were "stunned" to hear the tragic news that Jennifer Strange had died. Really? "Stunned"? Were they "stunned" during their on-air jokes about "signed releases" or afterwards?
KDND's Parent Company, Entercom/Sacramento, has since fired 10 employees involved with the fatal contest, including 3 of the DJs. The morning show that hosted the contest was also discontinued. No doubt this was all done as "damage control" - in an effort to keep their operating license.
So where exactly does the blame lie for this woman's death? With the Radio Station itself? With the DJs? With the woman who willingly allowed her body to be poisoned with too much water? Ultimately, the blame (to various degrees) lies with everyone involved - sadly, that also includes Jennifer Strange. Contestant James Ybarra could have also quite possibly ended up suffering the fatal consequences of water intoxication - had he not listened to his body in time, saying "enough water!".
In a world where publicity, sales and ratings rule, simply listening to your favorite Radio Station and participating in a contest to win a "fabulous" prize, can lead to your death.
An Attorney for the family of Jennifer Strange is now seeking to have the license for the offending Radio Station pulled. So much for "damage control".
The premise was simple - win a water-drinking contest without having to use the bathroom and take home a Nintendo Wii to your family - "simple" that is, until she died.
About 18 Contestants were initially given 8-Oz bottles of water every 15 minutes to drink. "They were small little half-pint bottles, so we thought it was going to be easy," said fellow Contestant James Ybarra. He quit after only 5 bottles. "My bladder couldn't handle it anymore", he said. "They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk." After quitting, the remaining Contestants, including Jennifer Strange, were provided with even larger bottles of water to drink.
Eventually, she gave in and settled for the second-place prize: tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert. By that time, she may have consumed as much as 2 gallons of water (7.5 litres).
Assistant Coroner Ed Smith stated there was evidence "consistent with a water intoxication" in the death of Jennifer Strange. Shortly before she died, she told one of her Supervisors that her head was hurting really bad and she was also in tears.
Has anyone over at KDND 107.9 ever heard of a "small" search-engine named "GOOGLE"? Then why didn't anyone PROPERLY research the effects of water intoxication - or take the results of that research seriously? One of the top 3 results for "water intoxication" in Google shows "Too Much Water Can Kill You"! Try the search yourself. They should have also commissioned a doctor for medical advice on carrying out such a contest and have the doctor present during the event. Obviously, neither were done.
There is however, clear evidence that the on-air disc jockeys DID in fact know about the possible fatal nature of drinking too much water - a listener even called into the radio show to warn them. "Yeah, we're aware of that," one of the DJs responded. Another DJ said with a laugh "Yeah, they signed releases, so we're not responsible. We're OK." At one point, the DJs even alluded to a college student who died during a similar stunt in 2005! The Radio Station said its Staff were "stunned" to hear the tragic news that Jennifer Strange had died. Really? "Stunned"? Were they "stunned" during their on-air jokes about "signed releases" or afterwards?
KDND's Parent Company, Entercom/Sacramento, has since fired 10 employees involved with the fatal contest, including 3 of the DJs. The morning show that hosted the contest was also discontinued. No doubt this was all done as "damage control" - in an effort to keep their operating license.
So where exactly does the blame lie for this woman's death? With the Radio Station itself? With the DJs? With the woman who willingly allowed her body to be poisoned with too much water? Ultimately, the blame (to various degrees) lies with everyone involved - sadly, that also includes Jennifer Strange. Contestant James Ybarra could have also quite possibly ended up suffering the fatal consequences of water intoxication - had he not listened to his body in time, saying "enough water!".
In a world where publicity, sales and ratings rule, simply listening to your favorite Radio Station and participating in a contest to win a "fabulous" prize, can lead to your death.
An Attorney for the family of Jennifer Strange is now seeking to have the license for the offending Radio Station pulled. So much for "damage control".
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