Oftentimes, radio contests require contestants do something a little out of the ordinary in pursuit of a prize. But what happens when a radio contest leads to the wrongful death of one of its contestants?
Jennifer Lea Strange died during the “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” contest held by KDND 107.9 in Sacramento, California. Strange drank a gallon and a half of water during a three hour period in which she did not go to the bathroom. After taking second place, Strange went home by herself and died about six hours later. According to doctor testimony, the wrongful death of a woman in a radio contest was caused by hyponatremia, or acute water intoxication.
Jennifer Strange, 28, was a mother of three children who entered a radio contest to win a Nintendo Wii console. Her wrongful death was caused by acute water intoxication. (SOURCE: Sacramento Bee)
Our wrongful death lawyers know that sometimes people do weird things to win prizes. While the radio program may not have thought drinking so much water was harmless, the proper research featuring doctors’ opinions should’ve been conducted to make absolutely sure.
Hyponatremia is a condition where too much water is consumed upsetting the body’s salt balance. The unbalance causes cells and eventually the brain to swell to the point where seizures can happen and cause respiratory problems. If wrongful death doesn’t happen, the seizures could cause brain damage, which may not be correctable.
Dr. George Alan Kaysen said hyponatremia could’ve been easily treated with an intravenous sodium drip, but that wasn’t readily available.
After the contest was over, Strange was interviewed by the DJs who organized the contest. She told them that her head was hurting and that “they keep telling me it will make me puke.”
Kaysen said at the time of the interview, Strange had already drank more water than her kidneys could handle.
“If everybody in the courtroom drank that amount of water, a fraction of us would die from it,” he said.
Attorneys for Entercom Communications Corp. argued Strange’s death wasn’t seen. Defense attorneys contested in his cross-examination that the only known deaths of acute hyponatremia occurred in marathon runners and people who drank too much water.
Our wrongful death lawyers know that sometimes mistakes happen. The radio station conducted a contest which they believed was harmless, but a rare circumstance unfortunately cost the life of a wife and mother.
Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced wrongful death attorney after you get into a car accident and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.
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Tags: hyponatremia, KDND, radio contest, wrongful death
