Women died from over consumption of water

[milliondollarchamp 0]

A 28-year-old suburban Sacramento woman died of apparent “water intoxication” after participating in a contest — “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” — sponsored by local radio station 107.9 KDND. The rules were simple: Participants simply competed to see how much water they could drink without going to the bathroom. The winner would receive a shiny new Wii video game console, the highly coveted, $250 must-have from Nintendo.

 

She left behind a husband, two sons and a daughter. From The Associated Press:

 

Jennifer Strange’s mother found her daughter’s body at her home Friday in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova, California, after Strange called her supervisor at her job to say she was heading home in terrible pain.

 

“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 coworkers at Radiological Associates of Sacramento. “She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her.”

 

Ms. Strange had taken part in the contest earlier in the day. On Saturday, Assistant Sacramento County Coroner Ed Smith said the initial investigation had found evidence “consistent with a water intoxication death.”

 

Water intoxication — also known as hyponatremia — is more commonly seen among athletes, usually extreme athletes, although it can happen to anyone who fails to recognize that they are consuming too much water for their body to regulate, causing a critical loss of sodium. (Rice University provides a good overview of the importance of regulating sodium levels in sports.) Generally speaking, the liquid part of blood — called blood plasma — starts rising and diluting the salt content, even as the body is leaching salt by sweating.

 

And as MedlinePlus at the National Institutes of Health puts it: “Sodium is the main cation (positive ion) that circulates in the body fluids outside the cells. It is a critical component in blood pressure maintenance. Sodium is also essential for the proper workings of nerves and muscles.”

 

Two years ago, 21-year-old Matthew Carrington died of water intoxication during a hazing incident at Chico State Univeristy. He had been forced to drink from a five-gallon jug of water that was repeatedly refilled. From NPR’s coverage of the trial that followed:

 

Carrington collapsed and started a seizure. Fraternity members didn’t initially call an ambulance. By the time they did, it was too late. Carrington was taken to Enloe Medical Center, where his heart stopped. At about 5 a.m. he was pronounced dead from water intoxication, which caused the swelling of his brain and lungs.

 

Ms. Strange was apparently trying to secure the Wii game console for her children.

 

“I was talking to her and she was a nice lady,” James Ybarra, a fellow contestant, told the A.P. “She was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for kids.” (The Sacramento Bee has a bit more from Mr. Ybarra today.)

 

John Geary, the vice president and marketing manager of Entercom Sacramento, which owns the radio station, told The A.P., “We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred.”

[Ced 0]

The End fired of 10 people over the stunt which was the entire Morning Rave crew and a few others involved. Sac County Sheriff's Department said their not going to look into the death as it seemed voluntary.

 

I wonder how much the lawsuit (which is pretty much obvious at this point) is going to fuck over Entercom, the company that owns the radio company and a few others here in Sac.

[Guest RayCo]

That'll teach 'em for making a games console with such a dumb name.

[EricMM 0]

"We'll call it... the Wii..."

"You fool! The inevitable deaths will be on YOUR HANDS!"

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Sounds like a terrible idea for a contest, but it's basically the woman's own fault, unfortunately.

 

I think I knew by the time I was 10 or so that drinking too much water at once could kill you.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

She must have signed a waiver, so can they really sue?

[hyperchord24 0]

I think I knew by the time I was 10 or so that drinking too much water at once could kill you.

Yeah, b/c everyone in grade school is taught to make sure they're not losing too much sodium from their blood plasma.

 

It was a terrible idea for a contest and deserve to be sued.

[EricMM 0]

Seriously, this is not exactly common knowledge.

 

This happens a lot more to atheletes who overhydrate. They start throwing up and stuff, so people think that they're dehydrated/suffering from heat stroke. So they give them more water. Oy.

[Darthtiki 0]

Chances are Entercom (which is one of the largest radio conglomerates in the US) will settle out of court. I'm no lawyer but I believe the most that the family could sue for is negligence, since wrongful death would be most likely be negated by the fact that she participated voluntarily. Personally, it was a retarded contest, just like many of their contests were and most people with a shred of common sense would know that if you over inundate your body with any substance it can have negative effects....like drinking a gallon of milk at a pep rally, yes I went there.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

Seriously, this is not exactly common knowledge.

 

This happens a lot more to atheletes who overhydrate. They start throwing up and stuff, so people think that they're dehydrated/suffering from heat stroke. So they give them more water. Oy.

Remember that marathon runner from the Gatorade commercial/Arrested Development clip? That was water intoxication, I think.

[hyperchord24 0]

Chances are Entercom (which is one of the largest radio conglomerates in the US) will settle out of court. I'm no lawyer but I believe the most that the family could sue for is negligence, since wrongful death would be most likely be negated by the fact that she participated voluntarily. Personally, it was a retarded contest, just like many of their contests were and most people with a shred of common sense would know that if you over inundate your body with any substance it can have negative effects....like drinking a gallon of milk at a pep rally, yes I went there.

Do you know how many deaths occur each year from dihydrogen oxide poisoning? Every substence on earth is toxic in some way and I find it very hard to believe even the smartest of people believe that.

[Matt Young 0]

I posted this in the video game forum, but now it's gone. Huh.

[Downhome 0]

Check this out:

 

http://www.sacbee.com/static/newsroom/kdndslides/

 

After hearing that, I am totally behind the morons getting sued like fuck.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Well, some of the radio stations out there have shown a penchant for running stupid contests in recent years. You'd think they'd learn by now.

[Sideburnious 0]

Wow, I always thought water was the one substance that would never hurt you (not including drowning).

 

She also technically forfiets the Wii

[Matt Young 0]

Holy shit... Loss is in the thread.

[NoCalMike 0]

My girlfriend was listening to part of the broadcast live, and a nurse actually called in and told told them about water asphixiation(sp?) and they kind of shrugged her off saying, "well the chick signed a waiver"

[theintensifier 0]

You can seriously die from drinking too much water? Hmm...I guess the saying of "too much of anything can kill you" is true.

[Guest RayCo]

I heard the next console, the Puu, is in the making, I wonder if the radio will do a contest where you have to eat all the Albran you can (do they have Albran in the States?) without soiling.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Oh, so it's Crono.

[Guest Vitamin X]

No, it's gotta be Hemme.

[Ripper 0]

She must have signed a waiver, so can they really sue?

 

Any lawyer worth a damn can get by any waiver you have ever signed. Ever.

[Downhome 0]

My girlfriend was listening to part of the broadcast live, and a nurse actually called in and told told them about water asphixiation(sp?) and they kind of shrugged her off saying, "well the chick signed a waiver"

 

Yep, all of that audio is in the link I posted above.

 

Near the end of the call they ask the nurse why she didn't come down to try to win the Wii, and she responds by saying "I don't want to die".

[Ced 0]

Wow, I always thought water was the one substance that would never hurt you (not including drowning).

 

She also technically forfiets the Wii

 

Actually, she came in second.

[theintensifier 0]

My girlfriend was listening to part of the broadcast live, and a nurse actually called in and told told them about water asphixiation(sp?) and they kind of shrugged her off saying, "well the chick signed a waiver"

 

Yep, all of that audio is in the link I posted above.

 

Near the end of the call they ask the nurse why she didn't come down to try to win the Wii, and she responds by saying "I don't want to die".

That's incredible.

[SuperJerk 0]

I want to beleive this is a hoax, but only about 100 news outlets have picked up the story.

[Wyld Cannon 0]

They were talking about this on O&A this morning with clips from today or yesterday's show. The DJ's on The Morning Rave were making fun of the girl dying. O&A were as well to an extent but they are much funnier so it was okay.

[EricMM 0]

It's really not.

 

She died horribly, if there is any other way, with cramps and headaches until it killed her.

 

Ahahah a girl died...

 

Christ.

[2GOLD 0]

Wow, I always thought water was the one substance that would never hurt you (not including drowning).

 

She also technically forfiets the Wii

 

Actually, she came in second.

 

What happened to the winner? Has anyone checked on the winner?

[EricMM 0]

LOL what if they died too LOL