Mom dies in water-drinking contest for Wii

A 28-year-old mother of three died of water intoxication in a radio station-sponsored water-drinking contest, "Hold Your Wee for a Wii".
Initially, contestants were handed eight-ounce bottles of water to drink every 15 minutes. Later, they were given larger bottles.
Jennifer Strange was found dead Friday in her home hours after taking part in the KDND 107.9 contest to win a Wii video game system.
"She said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad,"  a coworker said. "She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her."

Hat tip to reader Kelly!

Comments

[christina]

WOW who knew water the thing you need to survive can also kill you!

[kmb]

I knew there was such a thing as being "water drunk," but didn't know the amount she drank in that time would KILL her. Sheesh! - Wonder what people would do for a PS3?!

[Kelly]

I just really can't believe that this wasn't researched by the radio station prior to staging this contest. Anyone with any medical knowledge at all knows drinking too much water can kill you.

[Brad]

This just goes to show you how many stupid people there are in this world. A mother of 3 has no more sense than that?? FM shock jocks or DJ's in general are complete losers. They can't play tunes anymore, they have to have people do stupid stunts for ratings. No wonder the rest of the world laughs at us. Allowing these class clown rejects on the air for idiot chuckles is just plain ignorant.

[blondie2hot7]

I have never heard of such a thing myself. I've had a sonigram (sp)before where I had to drink a gallon of "something?" without using the restroom 1 hour prior to having the test.

I agree with Kelly, they should have researched this before doing the stupid contest............

[Dave]

She was going to sell it for coke anyway....

[Dave]

She was going to sell it for coke anyway....

[day4night]

I think it's very sad. It demonstrates the love of a mother for her children; surely she did not realize that drinking water could be dangerous.

she probably died due to salt imbalance in her body. It is pretty common for marathon runners who drink much water when they shouldnt.

[Mark]

When I was in Infantry bootcamp in the Army, we had a drill sgt that did that to 3 of us. We drank, and drank and drank canteens until 3 folks dropped. Really sad when good people like this die. She was just being a good mom for her kids. Tragic. Hopefully dad has an attorney aimed at this radio station. Waiver or not, one cannot sign away their rights to life, they (station) are liable.

[Crazy USA]

This goes to show why the world (other countries) thinks our citizens are so stupid.
Our own people - screwing over our very own brothers and sisters - just to get a laugh. And worst of all - our so call laws, states, and the idiots on the federal governments continues to allow it.
The laws from Congress is such a hypocrisy - we're trying to show the world that we're a humane country and our social societies are of great moral - yet we kill our own - not with guns or mortals - but water.

Wake up America!

[Mike]

Greed is a terrible thing. She could have simply bought the Wii, but that would've been too easy, right?

[aqua]

What a great sacrifice for your children. After the lawsuit, her kids would be able to get a Large Plasma Display TV to play their Wii on!

[KV4503]

You know you all are ridiculous. This woman has died and you low lives are more concerned with insulting her. Sure buying it would have been a lot easier, but if she is a single mom of 3 how is she supposed to afford it? I think you all need to take a closer look at yourselves. You don't sit here and say she is stupid or that she is going to sell it for coke. Its a normal person looking for a break in life to get her kids something great. Sorry no one has the decency to realize how sad this story is. Instead you all want to find something to complain about. Get a life and I hope something happens like this to all of you who were low enough to make fun of a dead person.

[Victor]

I do think that it is disrespectful to those mourning to insult the dead. The only people that should be criticized in this situation are those at the radio station. The producers of that show should be fired and required to pay out of pocket for the legal ramifications. It is such an idiodic stunt to pull, and it SHOULD (note not "will") send a shockwave through radio.

[bh]

"Greed is a terrible thing. She could have simply bought the Wii, but that would've been too easy, right?"

Obviously you haven't tried to buy one. When that is all your kids are asking for as a Christmas gift it's amazing what a parent will do to get one. Trust me.. speaking from experience here..

[BS Steve]

People will do anything for somthing free....

Bunch of sheeple.....

[Sid Vicious]

It's tragic.. That people can be as dumb as this woman. To those posters who don't seem to be aware of water intoxication and it's potential for fatality.. Darwin is calling your name.

[Dana]

You guys suck...

[blondie2hot7]

I don't drink water, but I guess I could get "pepsi toxification." Is that possible?

Yes, drinking too much water can kill a person. The radio station should have researched that before attempting that promo. This is not the first time drinking too much water has killed a person. When I first read about it, I couldn't believe it, then I started reading more and more incidents about it. SMH. They have stopped sororities and fraternities from using this method also.

Oh how i smell a big fat "Law Suit".

[Mbart]

Why should her family sue? What did the radio station do wrong? She drank the water. She went to the contest. She should have known the ramifications. I had heard of that. I am sure she signed a waiver. The radio station would be smart to. At what point do we make the person doing the act responsible????

[Mbart]

Why should her family sue? What did the radio station do wrong? She drank the water. She went to the contest. She should have known the ramifications. I had heard of that. I am sure she signed a waiver. The radio station would be smart to. At what point do we make the person doing the act responsible????

[blondie2hot7]

Mbart: I don't mean to sound like a dumb blonde, but really, I have never heard that consuming too much water without using the restroom, or with using the restroom could cause "intoxication."

I'm sure not everyone has heard of it.
But, I am not a water drinker either.

[BS Steve]

Well if drinking to much water wouldnt of gotten her the flouride in the water would of......

Heh....

[patches123]

This has happened before...I can't believe the radio station didn't know this. Its even happened in fraternity rush weeks too.

[Vicky B]

i think its kinda sad that people dont have anything better to do than to make fun of a dead mother of three kids, who happen to die trying to get something to make her kids happy. to all of you who made fun of her, you dont have to cry over her death but at least have the decency not to disrespect her because there are people mourning her.
p.s. not everyone knows about water intoxication.

[blondie2hot7]

vicky b: I agree. I am one of those who DO NOT know what water intoxication is, but I do know what it is like to lose someone to death, and it's nothing to make jokes about..

My condolences

[BS Steve]

Guess everyone does not know about common sence either.....

Drinking a gallon of water and not going to the bathroom for an extended period of time,Especially when your body is telling you to go.....That isnt exactly the smartest thing in the world either....What is "pee"?A toxin right?Lol no brainer....Your body tells you to get rid of it do it simple.....

[Kelly]

Exactly, Vicky B - not everyone knows about water intoxification, that's precisely why the radio station should have done the proper research to ensure the safety of the contestants. No matter what waivers were signed, the radio station is going to be liable.

[mckayvo]

Kelly says, "Anyone with any medical knowledge at all knows drinking too much water can kill you."
This woman worked at Radiological Associates.... It's obviously unfortunate but nobody intended to harm this woman.
2 people died running the LA marathon last year...I suppoose they should be sued as well. I don't understand why some are so quick to find somebody to blame for everything. I can assure you that the person who came up with this "game" is just as human as the woman who died was. We all know the dangers of traffic accidents....had she died driving to the contest, would you still blame the radio station?

[BS Steve]

"They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk."

Personal responsibility means nothing....Blame someone else for your actions.....

Typical....

[Kelly]

Odds are the woman couldn't afford a wii or much of anything else for her kids. I grew up in poverty and saw my parents do desperate things for my brothers and me - not always to pay the bills or give us food, but sometimes just because they felt so inadequate and wanted us to *have* things. My mom used to cry and say we deserved better.

Initially when I saw the headline I was scornful too, but actually this is just really sad, and nobody should be making fun of this poor woman. Imagine what her kids must be feeling now? To the people who are making jokes or hurling insults, just stop and think for a moment. They lost their mother in a terrible way.

[BBE]

I was unaware that too much water could kill you. Most people have the problem of not drinking enough water. But to criticize this single Mother and say there are other ways to get this game is not fair! She CAN be too poor to afford one! Not every one has or should have a credit card ready for every "I wanna" that comes along. But she saw an opportunity to get her children something special in a way that seemed easy. Neither she or the radio station knew of water poisoning as many others responders did not know. It is a tragic loss of the devoted mother and no one should make light of her death.

[BS Steve]

Guess no one knows that if you over fill your "bladder" it can burst and possibly kill you....also??? Toxins once again....

Lol....give me a break.....

[hmmm]

Who won?

[jpbikerfreak]

Newsflash: too much of ANYTHING, repeat ANYTHING can kill you.

I see warning labels on bottled water coming soon. Also, we'll need a new department of government to look into this further. We'll call it the federal office of water intoxification regulation. We'll sue the water departments, pay the lawyers 90% of the proceeds, then use the other 10% to pay for water education programs.

Then we'll borrow millions and millions to fund the new department.

But you can get involved too.

Consider starting up a chapter of "Mothers against too much water drinking". Lobby congress to lower the level of allowable water in a person's system. We could then set up checkpoints in the road to test for water intoxification... WOW... this could really be big.

BUT if it saves just ONE LIFE, isn't it worth it?

[aqua]

jp, you need to lay off the water. Have a shot of hooch.

[jpbikerfreak]

I can see by your name (aqua) that you're obviously affiliated with "big water", so your comments come as no surprise to me.

[Kelly]

My point is that if the radio station had been even the LEAST BIT responsible and done even the smallest amount of research, they would have known that DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER COULD KILL SOMEONE. That's the whole deal here - responsibility on the part of the radio station in promoting this contest without doing proper prior research to ensure the safety of the participants.

[BS Steve]

So in your mind the paricipants are not responsible to even research what damage their actions might do to their own bodies???When entering a contest??

Push that blame off on someone else....Good plan........Typical...

The real deal is your personal choice....

[s]

Don't radio stations make you sign a release before you enter ANYTHING?

This was an idiotic contest. But, pretty much any contest is risky and, in hindsight, not worth it. Look at Survivor, Fear Factor, etc.

ANYTHING can kill you. Eating too many cow nuts can kill you. Trying to hold your breath under water for too long can kill you. Lots of contests are indeed a competition because it measures how much risk people are willing to take to win a prize such as a Wii.

It is a sad story, and if the radio station didn't have her sign a waiver, they deserve to take some legal responsibility for the ramifications of their contest. Regardless, I'm sure they will still spend some time in court...

[kmb]

Does anyone else remember WKRP's "turkey drop" episode?

[BS Steve]

"Lonnie Anderson" did have her day....lol

[bh]

I loved the turkey drop KMB! That was hilarious. But seriously, there are all kinds of contests and competitions from hot dog eating, to marathon running that can easily kill people. While it may have been a dumb idea, I don't think you can hold the radio station accountable.

[Kelly]

I'm sure there's some idiotic radio station program manager somewhere saying "by golly, I sure didn't know a person could die from drinkin' too much water." Regardless of whether a release was signed - there is an implied level of safety when someone is entering a legitimate radio contest. The station may be fine if it was spelled out in the paperwork that people have died from drinking too much water in the past and you're accepting responsibility if this were to happen. But if it was never even researched by the station, they're responsible.

[BS Steve]

I guess volunteer isnt in your vocab either Kelly.....

You do not seem to know what personal responsibility is so I thought I would use a different word.......

That is the bottom line they did not force anyone to join their contest it was a volunteer basis....Choice can be harmful or helpful....It is dangerous....But it is what make us great....

The radio station offered a game and people joined it by choice.....

[kmb]

"The radio station offered a game and people joined it by choice....."

I've never seen any "Jackass" movie -- so this is a real question: is that how they get their participants?

[Tony]

Not to sound too clinical, but water intoxification results when your blood's sodium balance becomes too diluted. Too much salt is bad for you; likewise, too little is also bad. Excessive water intake in a short time period can drive your sodium level down to a point that is life threatening, as proven in this story. Also, your kidneys can only process so much pee per hour/day. If you deliberately exceed your system's ability to process waste, you're placing yourself in harm's way. The cells can/will swell, and you may be toes up and room temperature before you know what happened.

I agree w/ previous statements; the station should have researched this stunt before they rolled it out. I also agree that this gal should have investigated the potential risk. Plenty of blame to go around. I do think it's terribly unfair to jump all over this woman's case. She was trying to win a cool prize for her kids that presumably she could not otherwise afford. She went about it in a less than desirable way, but in giving her the benefit of the doubt, I assume her heart was in the right place.