Contact us. I felt like I was drunk. "[42] However, Deborah Hoffman of KXTV reported that former prosecutor Bill Portanova commented that "the radio station has some serious liability exposure", due in part to widespread news coverage of the Matthew Carrington case two years earlier. You've probably heard the term electrolyte before, whether in reference to sports drinks (which provide electrolytes in addition to fluids) or to certain conditions, such as bulimia or diarrhea, that cause dangerous "electrolyte imbalances" in the body. / CBS News. 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The contest awarded a Nintendo console to the person who could avoid urinating (or vomiting) after drinking a large quantity of water. Listen to article What Strange didn't know was that after drinking so much water in a little over four hours, she'd given herself a deadly condition that the coroner would later say was consistent with water intoxication. [18] Daniels moved to drop 1960s songs from the station's repertoire, and in May 1993, the station flipped to a more uptempo adult contemporary format branded as Xtra 107.9, advertising itself as featuring "no rap, metal, or Madonna". Ten minutes later, they had to drink another. [67] The FCC included the 107.9 frequency in its auction scheduled to begin April 28, 2020, but the auction was indefinitely postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. for a more detailed description). The game console sells for about $250. Drinking large quantities of water rapidly can throw off the body's balance of electrolytes, causing brain swelling and leading to seizures, coma, or even death. In January 2007, hours after competing in a radio station contest to win a Nintendo Wii, 28-year-old Jennifer Strange was found dead in her California home. Initially, contestants were handed eight-ounce bottles of water to drink every 15 minutes. A Nintendo Wii video game was the prize for winning the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. The jury also found that Strange was 0% at fault (that is, there was no contributory negligence) for her own death. NYPD officer Troy Patterson dies 33 years after being shot in robbery Other symptoms include headaches, muscle weakness and convulsions. They told us if you dont feel like you can do this, dont put your health at risk.. Jennifer Strange's Family Awarded $16.5 Million in "Wee for Wii A jury awarded $16,577,188 damages against KDND . Drinking large quantities of water rapidly can throw off the body's balance of electrolytes, causing brain swelling and leading to seizures, coma or even death. Brain cells are constrained by the skull and can end up bursting with the pressure of the water they are taking in. She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her.. The radio station, he said, "had the information months in advance that this could cause harm.". At FindLaw.com, we pride ourselves on being the number one source of free legal information and resources on the web. The same day, the station announced that it had fired 10 staff members, including the five hosts of the "Morning Rave," which was canceled. (AP Photo/California Department of Motor Vehicles via the Sacramento Bee) ** ** UNDATED PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES, Elidia Campos, shown with her son, Israel, sat next to Jennifer Strange during the water-drinking contest on Sacramento radio station KDND. Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, was among 18 people who entered the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" competition. Symptoms of water intoxication actually look a lot like the symptoms of alcohol intoxication, including nausea, altered mental state, and vomiting. ", "We're aware of that," one jock replied. Strange 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. A mother of three died from water intoxication after a radio station drinking competition, a California coroner said on Saturday. My bladder couldnt handle it anymore, he added. Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. The result is that cells desperately try to increase the sodium concentration in body fluids by taking in tremendous amounts of water. Drinking fluids made to replace electrolytes can help prevent intoxication. Radio Station May Lose License After Death In "Hold Your Wee For A Wii It was her choice to enter Friday morning's contest. Matthew Carrington of Pleasant Hill died after drinking huge amounts of water while pledging. [9] Drake-Chenault moved the station to Loma Vista Drive off Fulton Avenue. She consumed massive amounts of water, developed severe headaches, seizures, coma and died within 24 hours. During its existence, the Browns bought back KNDE and returned it to the fold as KXOA, to air a harder AOR mix. KDND - Wikipedia At its most basic, water intoxication occurs when a person drinks so much water that the other nutrients in the body become diluted to the point that they can no longer do their jobs. At the time of the incident, Laura Rios, one of Strange's co-workers at Radiological Associates of Sacramento said Strange "said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her.". Jennifer Strange, 28, competed in Sacramento station KDND 107.9's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest to try to win Nintendo's console for her children. Ran on: 02-08-2005 TermsPrivacyDisclaimerCookiesDo Not Sell My Information, Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, use enter to select, Please enter a legal issue and/or a location, (city, 82K views 13 years ago Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly discuss the "Hold Your Wee For A Wii" contest from 2007, in which Jennifer Strange died. Strange, 28, 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, Jan. 14, 2007. The show's DJs called the contest "Hold your Wee for a Wii.". The Sacramento news stations report water intoxication. But that changed after investigators heard a tape this week of the on-air conversations and how the hosts disregarded the caller's warnings and signs that Strange and other contestants were experiencing symptoms of intoxication. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/hold-your-wee-wii-lawsuit, JANUARY 25--The family of the California woman who died from water intoxication after trying to win a video game console in a radio station stunt has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the architects of the 'Hold Your Wee for a Wii' contest. But the contest went ahead with a host laughing and asking, Is anyone dying in there?. . Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Woman dies after trying to win Wii | Engadget The clips above are highlights of the best-of-the . [22], In July 1996, Brown Broadcasting sold KXOA-AM-FM and KQPT (100.5 FM) to American Radio Systems for $50million, bringing it to the market limit of five FM and three AM stations. [52] Maney hosts mornings on WNKS in Charlotte, and Sweet hosted mornings on WPLJ in New York City under the name Jayde Donovan until the station's sale in 2019; she now hosts a show on Apple Music 1 and a show syndicated through Westwood One. Once the contest was narrowed down to two, Strange and the eventual winner, Lucy Davidson, were brought into the studio. However, the Federal Communications Commission has not acted in any way., Kevin Geary, a spokesman for KDNDs parent , Entercom Communications, said the events in 2007 were tragic. 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. Someone in the studio mentioned "that poor kid in college," but another DJ responded that Carrington "was doing other things. 3 DJs fired after deadly water-drinking contest - NBC News The "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" event drew participants who wanted to win a Wii video game console. Ms. Strange's death led to a civil action for wrongful death, which settled after a jury entered a $16.5 million judgment against KDND. The FCC ruled that Stolz's arguments had no merit and that he was not a party of interest in the dispute between Media Action Center and Entercom that led to the license revocation hearing. When a person dies from hyponatremia as a result of water intoxication, the initiating factor is a severe sodium imbalance that causes massive cell damage. Family: Sadistic radio contest caused wrongful death of mom. "At this time," it said, "we would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Jennifer Strange. Jennifer Strange had taken part in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" game run by KDND 107.9 radio in Sacramento, which promised the winner a Nintendo Wii. She was found dead at her home about five hours later. Strange suffered hyponatremia, or acute water intoxication. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000394.htm, Lillis, Ryan. Water overdose kills woman in Wii challenge - The Guardian The then-chief of enforcement for the FCC stated to the Sacramento Bee that the motive was financial and that Entercom would likely have fought had a merger not been planned. "Why can't you take in as much water as you want?". [37] On January 17, the Los Angeles Times reported that Sacramento Sheriff John McGinness had ordered homicide detectives to investigate whether a crime had been committed. Strange (pictured above in a family portrait) was awarded two tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert as a consolation prize. I was talking to her and she was a nice lady, Ybarra said. The contest, which was held in January 2007, was to see which contestant could drink the most water without going to the bathroom. She then called in sick at work and died in her bathroom just hours after the contest. Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning, hyperhydration, overhydration, or water toxemia, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe limits by excessive water intake.