On Thursday, Sacramento County jurors found Entercom Sacramento LLC, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications Corp., liable for the actions of its employees at Sacramento radio station KDND-FM. Dreyer charged that even after getting phone calls -- one from a nurse -- the DJs did not pass along information about the dangers of drinking too much water to the contestants. A 28-year-old contestant, Jennifer Strange, died of water intoxication hours after taking part in the contest.[31][32]. Matthew Carrington of Pleasant Hill died after drinking huge amounts of water while pledging. Now the Sacramento radio station could lose its licence. All rights reserved. DNA solves "decades-old mystery" after woman's remains found in 1995 "I passed out in bed at 11 (a.m.) and didn't wake up until my husband shook me awake at 6 that night.". Some cells can swell a great deal; others cannot. Under a legal doctrine sometimes referred to as "respondeat superior" (Latin for "Let the superior answer"), an employer is legally responsible for the actions of its employees. Sacramento sheriff's spokesman Sgt. [43] On April 2, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office declined to press criminal charges, citing a "lack of evidence of criminal misconduct".[44]. (Andthe strangest place of all, Los Angeles.). "We were so out of it, so disoriented. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000394.htm, Lillis, Ryan. The results of a preliminary investigation released Saturday showed evidence "consistent with water intoxication death in the death of 28-year-old Jennifer Strange, Sacramento County assistant coroner Ed Smith After downing some six liters of water in three hours in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" (Nintendo game console) contest, Jennifer Strange vomited, went home with a splitting headache, and died from . Jan. 16, 2007. http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Today/2007/01/16/3387786-sun.html, "Woman drinks so much water she dies." MedlinePlus Encyclopedia. It seemed a great wheeze at the time - a radio contest called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" . During the match, contestants were given two minutes to drink an 8-ounce bottle of water, then given another bottle to drink after a 10-minute break. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. It was her choice to enter Friday morning's contest. Jan. 16, 2007. http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/212558 ,3_1_EL16_A7WATER_S1.article, Miner, Josh. She appeared ill, one contestant said. If the injury caused by the employee is simply one of the risks of the business, the employer will have to bear the responsibility. [19] It also dropped its local news coverage. Well, here's another good one. The survivors of a woman who died almost three years ago after her participation in radio. 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. [33][34] Some later remarked on the physical discomfort they suffered during and following the event. [12] The station re-branded as Super Stereo K108, featuring Top 40 music and album-oriented rock (AOR) at night. None of the contestants had any idea what they had gotten themselves into. Trending News His latest book is Crouching Father, HiddenToddler: A Zen Guide for New Dads., A stupid radio stunt's tragic finale / Sacramento DJs joked as contestant guzzled fatal quantity of water, In this undated photo provided by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Jennifer Strange, of Rancho Cordova, Calif., is shown. Delivered Wednesdays. By early 1975, the station had shifted to a soft AOR format, which would be successful throughout the remaining half of the 1970s. [68] The allocation was again put up for auction as part of FCC Auction 109 beginning July 27, 2021, and was auctioned off to iHeartMedia for $6,146,000.[69][70]. My bladder couldnt handle it anymore, he added. Drinking fluids made to replace electrolytes can help prevent intoxication. Jennifer Strange was found dead in her suburban Rancho Cordova home shortly after participating in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest, held by KDND 107.9 on Friday. "How can someone die from drinking too much water?" Water intoxication: When a person drinks large quantities of water rapidly, the normal balance of electrolytes in the body can be diluted to the point that brain function is disturbed, leading to. A rather strange bit of news has leaked out today about a radio station in California. In this case, the radio station and its head corporation must be held responsible for the acts of its employees because they were carrying out company business by conducting this contest. C.W. The co-worker contacted Strange's mother, who went to her home an hour later to find her daughter dead. A mother of three died from water intoxication after a radio station drinking competition, a California coroner said on Saturday. Campos wonders if she somehow could have intervened when Strange became very ill. Nevius has been a columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle for more than 20 years, covering sports, reviewing movies and spotting trends. 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "I had cold sweats, my head hurt, and I can't even guess how many times I threw up on the way home," Campos says. In all, hecovered eight Olympic Games, from Australia to Spain to Korea. The London Free Press. The wrongful death lawsuit, a copy of which you'll find below, names the radio station's owner and eight individuals as defendants. And another jumped in to wisecrack that everyone in the contest had signed releases, "so we're not responsible.". Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old Rancho Cordova, Calif. mother of three, died of acute water intoxication in January, 2007 after the challenge to see which contestant could drink the most water without using the restroom. She was found dead that afternoon in her Rancho Cordova home. 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. Both stations were then sold to Producers, Inc., of Milwaukee for $500,000 in 1963. Become a home entertainment expert with our handpicked tips, reviews and deals. Jennifer Strange was a 28-year-old mother of three who entered a radio contest to try to win a Nintendo Wii game system for her children. Hardly. Click here to return to the "Good Morning America" Web site. Are those guys zany and irreverent or what? [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. Sodium is a positively charged ion, and its role in the body is to circulate the fluids outside of cells. Cause of Death Confirmed as "Water Intoxication" A 28-year-old woman has died after taking part in [radio station] The End 107.9's "water drinking contest". Strange had showed fellow. 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. [4] The experiment was undone the next year, and KCNW returned to being KXOA-FM. "Those people that are drinking all that water can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication," Brooks said, to which disc jockeys replied they "were aware of that" and that contestants had signed a release "so we're not responsible.". Several years ago, a woman died in a radio contest called "Hold your Wee for a Wii" where she tried to drink more water than any other contestant in order to win a video game console. The clips above are highlights of the best-of-the . [24] KXOA was sold to Entercom, which simultaneously acquired KSEG and KRXQ (93.7 FM) from Jacor Communications;[25] the two purchases, totaling $65million, gave Entercom a trio of rock-oriented radio stations. "She acted based upon the information she had," Dreyer said, calling the ruling "vindication for Jennifer." The Sacramento Media Group and the Media Action Center will file legal challenges with the US Federal Communications Commission before the Nov. 1 deadline to contest the stations pending eight-year broadcast license renewal. The Sacramento news stations report water intoxication. They told us if you dont feel like you can do this, dont put your health at risk.. Someone in the studio mentioned "that poor kid in college," but another DJ responded that Carrington "was doing other things. } / CBS News. (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. IE 11 is not supported. In cases of water intoxication, it is extreme hyponatremia that can ultimately cause coma and death. The KDNDs on-site station management and crew of the Morning Rave show were fired after Stranges death. Who's at risk: Anyone who drinks too much water too fast can be affected, but infants, marathon runners and people working in extreme heat are particularly vulnerable. She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her.. Listeners including Eva Brooks had even called into the show to warn about the potential consequences of the game. her family is suing the company that owns the. #inline-recirc-item--id-d4637c66-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-d4637c66-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { "There was a girl on the floor," says Campos, who made it to the final five. In the 2007 contest on KDNDs Morning Rave show, contestants were urged to drink as much water as they could without urinating to win the $250 video game system. Hours later, she died of water intoxication, according to the Sacramento County coroner. "She was in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" competition trying to win a Nintendo Wii video game system." The results of a preliminary . 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. 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. A Nintendo Wii video game was the prize for winning the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. Most Relevant is selected, so some comments may have been filtered out. On January 24, the FCC announced that it would investigate KDND to see if it violated the terms of its license. A legal action is already in the works from an attorney representing the Strange family. Matt Carrington Ran on: 02-08-2005 Ran on: 02-10-2005 Ran on: 06-04-2005 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. http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm, "Hyponatremia." And if you found their antics mean and offensive, maybe you just weren't cool enough to get the joke. The FCC auctioned the frequency in 2021; iHeartMedia won the bidding, and KSTE-FM (now KZIS) began broadcasting on May 4, 2022. This 10-year journey to the loss of a valuable broadcasting license in such a prominent market is not surprising, given the facts. 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. CNN.com. A preliminary autopsy indicated that Jennifer Strange, 28, died from water intoxication after participating in KDND-FM 107.9's on-air "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest Friday. According to a contestant, the waivers addressed only publicity issues and made no mention of health or safety concerns. A California died over the weekend after participating in a "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" radio promotion. The exact amount of water intake that can lead to water intoxication is unknown and varies with each individual. On September 25, 1945, Lincoln Dellar, who had signed on KXOA (1470 AM) on May 20 of that year,[1] applied to the FCC to build a new FM radio station in Sacramento, originally specifying 95.9MHz as the frequency. [21] The Arrow format challenged KSEG (96.9 FM) and KHYL (101.1 FM). She died because of her participation in a radio contest called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii.". Criminal charges will probably be filed in the death of Carrington, a California State University student who died while undergoing hazing at a rogue fraternity, a police spokesman said Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005. In 2007, Jennifer Lea Strange died after participating in "Hold Your Wee For A Wii," a contest held by the Morning Rave show on KDND in Sacramento that required contestants to drink as much water as possible without urinating, in order to win a Nintendo Wii console. [16] The KXOA stations also had a regionally recognized news team led by Ken Hunt. A Nintendo Wii video game was the prize for winning the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. In July 1998, two years after the sale of the station to Entercom (now Audacy, Inc . A Sacramento radio stunt gone gone bad will cost the radio station and its parent company $16.57 million. Initially, Jennifer seemed to be having fun, joking lightheartedly with the radio hosts and obligingly downing an 8-ounce bottle of water every 15 minutes. 18 January 2007. A California court found Sacramento radio station KDND-FM and its owner liable for the death in January 2007 of mother-of-three Jennifer Strange, 28. However, because Ms. I feel so awful, I'm about to pass out.' [37], The Associated Press reported that the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman said no officers were investigating the death and that, "It was a contest and people are saying there was no coercion. Strange finished second among 18 contestants, and complained that her head hurt and she felt lightheaded when dropping out of the contest. The prize was a Wii video game, worth $250, going to the person who drank most water without peeing. She dropped out of the contest, went home and died about six hours later. The family of a California woman who died trying to win a Wii in a radio contest has been awarded $16.5 million in its suit against the station, according to the Associated Press. "We totally had a moment together," says Campos, 33. It has certainly worked for KDND's "The Morning Rave," which has become one of Sacramento's top-rated drive-time shows. [30], On January 12, 2007, KDND's morning show, the Morning Rave, held an on-air contest entitled Hold Your Wee for a Wii, in which contestants were asked to drink as much water as they could without urinating. If the injury caused by the employee is simply one of the risks of the business, the employer will have to bear the responsibility. After two weeks of deliberations, jurors last week found Entercom Sacramento LLC, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications Corp., liable for the actions of its employees at Sacramento radio station KDND-FM, the Associated Press reported. "Sports drinks fight water intoxication." At the time of the station's closing, KDND's studios were located in North Highlands (though with a Sacramento address), while its transmitter was located just north of the Sacramento city limits near Elverta. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Ran on: 02-08-2005 Ms Strange, a mother-of-three, had taken part in radio station KDND 107.9's "hold your wee for a Wii" contest, in a bid to win a Nintendo Wii video games system. Chronic dehydration is linked to higher incidences of some . 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"In the brief amount of time she got to spend with Jen, the 11 months," he said, "she really picked up on a lot of her qualities and her personality.". Strange suffered hyponatremia, or acute water intoxication. NEW YORK (CBS/AP) The family of Jennifer Strange, a California woman who died after participating in a radio station's water-drinking contest, has been awarded $16.5 million by a California jury. Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. Each contestant had to drink an 8-ounce (226.8-gram) bottle of water within two minutes. The hosts can be heard joking on an audiotape of Friday's show about how Strange's stomach was distended from drinking nearly 2 gallons of water, and they teased her and other contestants because they did not "look so good.". [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. [28], At noon on July 14, 1998, Entercom made a move that general manager John Geary admitted should have occurred a year prior and flipped KXOA to Top 40/CHR as 107.9 The End with new KDND call letters. The next day, Geary dismissed ten station employeesincluding the three morning disc jockeys, Adam "Lukas" Cox, Steve Maney and Patricia "Trish" Sweetfrom their positions in connection with the tragedy[41] and cancelled the Morning Rave. 5 yr. ago. A coroner ruled that her death was due to water intoxication. Signs and symptoms of dehydration include thirst, dizziness, fainting, headaches, low blood-pressure, fatigue, low to no urine output, and, in extreme cases, loss of consciousness and death. "Like, a nurse called.". Electrolytes are simply salt ions (atoms with an overall positive or negative charge) that cells use to move fluids and nerve messages into and out of cells and throughout the body. All rights reserved. Wilson said a jury had held the radio station liable for Stranges death, but the FCC has shown "no inclination" to go after its broadcast license despite calls from the victims family for sanctions against the station. Jennifer Strange, 28, died after drinking over two gallons of water in Sacramento radio station 107.9 The End's "Hold your wee for a Wii" contest. According to contest participants, 17 to 20 contestants took part in the competition in a room at KDND's studios. Two media watchdog groups are challenging the license renewal of the station held financially responsible for the water intoxication death of the young mother . As a sports columnist, he climbed the ski jump at the Norway Olympics,ate bee larvae in Japan and skied in the French Alps. The purpose of this rule is fairly simple: To hold employers responsible for the costs of doing business, including the costs of employee carelessness or misconduct. Before the song was finished, KDND's transmitter was shut down on February 8 at 12:01a.m., bringing a close to the nearly 70-year history of the station. A radio station fired 10 employees, including its three morning disc jockeys, after a woman died following an on-air water-drinking contest last week. In other words, the employer will generally be liable if the employee was doing his or her job, carrying out company business, or otherwise acting on the employer's behalf when the incident took place. Texas man who lost wife and son in shooting shares story It was, in short, typical dumbbell morning radio, featuring the kind of stupid stunts and heckling that have raised ratings on stations across the nation. Our thoughts remain with the family. At FindLaw.com, we pride ourselves on being the number one source of free legal information and resources on the web. She consumed massive amounts of water, developed severe headaches, seizures, coma and died within 24 hours. After drinking two gallons and becoming one of two final participants, according to witness reports, Strange began to feel ill and had to quit. A preliminary investigation found evidence consistent with a water intoxication death, said assistant Coroner Ed Smith. The Sacramento Bee released audio clips from the morning show indicating that the disc jockeys were aware of the death of Matthew Carrington by water intoxication. Known as, "The End" 107.9, the station was hosting a "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest, asking people to drink as much water as they could to win the prize. Jennifer Strange's youngest daughter was just 11 months old when her mother died. [17], In the early 1990s, KXOA-FM's popularity began to wane following the launch of competitors in KYMX and KGBY; ratings fell by roughly half from 1990 to 1993. (AP Photo/Courtsey of the Carrington family via the San Francisco Chronicle) Ran on: 02-04-2005 The contest, which was held in January 2007, was to see which contestant could drink the most water without going to the bathroom. Strange may have drunk nearly two gallons, witnesses said. Trump motion to declare mistrial in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit denied, U.S. to let Afghan evacuees renew temporary legal status, Tornado hits Virginia Beach, likely damaging hundreds of homes. The disc jokeys themselves had raised that possibility during the show. [36] The DJs responded by saying, "We're aware of that" and said that the contestants had signed releases and couldn't file a lawsuit. A preliminary autopsy indicated that Jennifer Strange died from water intoxication. [2] Brown responded by hiring a new operations manager, Don Daniels, from WOMC in Detroit. asked the female disc jockey. [13] Art Schroeder, the KXOA-FM program director during this period, credited the "safe" approach with attracting many listeners not wishing to hear punk rock. [14], After KXOA-FM was among several stations affected by the rapid rise of KZAP (98.5 FM) at the start of the 1980s,[15] the station pivoted to a soft adult contemporary format using the K108 moniker, remaining successful throughout the decade and leading the market in ratings and revenue in the mid-1980s. Ybarra said he quit after drinking five bottles. There was no way I could make a rational decision, especially with people egging you on.". Drink a lot of water and hold your pee as long as possible; the person who holds out the longest wins the Nintendo Wii console. "It was a preventable thing," Billy Strange told "Good Morning America" today of his wife's 2007 death from water toxicity. And, as the name implies, the players could not use the restroom. If it's caught early, treatment with IV fluids containing electrolytes can lead to a complete recovery; but untreated, hyponatremia is fatal. ", "Oh, it hurts," Strange said, while one male disc jockey remarked that she looked pregnant and another, a woman, said "That is so funny.". [3], In 1961, Cal-Val experimented with splitting the AM and FM stations, changing the FM to a country format as KCNW. John Geary, vice president and general manager of Entercom/Sacramento, the parent company of KDND, sent an e-mail to reporters Tuesday stating that "effective immediately, the 'Morning Rave' program is canceled and 10 employees are no longer with the station.". 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. As part of KDND's "Hold your wee for a Wii" contest, Jennifer drank bottle after bottle of water for hours without urinating. No family members were present at a news conference this week calling for the rejection of the stations licence renewal. Strange was found dead Friday, January 12, 2007, hours after the contest. An excess of water in the body can lead to the dilution of vital fluids. The DJs also joked about Strange's distended belly, joking that she looked three months pregnant. Water intoxication: When a person drinks large quantities of water rapidly, the normal balance of electrolytes in the body can be diluted to the point that brain function is disturbed, leading to light-headedness, nausea, vomiting, headaches and sometimes death. Ten employees were fired following the incident. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The corporation tried to argue that Strange should have known the contest was dangerous. But the contest went ahead with a host laughing and asking, Is anyone dying in there?. 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. [8] The sale became effective at the start of 1971; the FM retained the call sign,[2] while the AM became known as KNDE. This is a carousel. 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, KDND's morning show controversially held an on-air contest in which contestants were challenged to drink as much water as they could without urinating, in order to win a Nintendo Wii video game console. Strange apparently died from drinking too much water too quickly, resulting in a condition called water intoxication. Station Vice President and General Manager John Geary issued a statement of sympathy on Tuesday. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Julia Layton [20] The format did not improve KXOA's ratings; on March 25, 1994, the station flipped to a classic hits format branded as Arrow 108, adapted from Los Angeles' KCBS-FM. When the Wii . A Sacramento, Calif., radio station has fired 10 employees after a woman died in a water-drinking contest to win a Nintendo Wii, the Associated Press and other media sources are reporting. Among the fired employees were three morning disc jockeys. Learn more Over the next month, the jury heard testimony from over 41 witnesses as 192 exhibits were entered into evidence. Another joke. "She said, 'Oh, my God. Employer Liability for Employee's Bad Acts. ", Juror Tammy Elliott focused on the cautionary phone calls. The whole premise is in the title: Hold Your Wee for a Wii. The Strange family was represented by prominent Sacramento attorney Roger A. Dreyer of the firm of Dreyer, Babich, Buccola & Callaham, LLP. A Sacramento radio station fired 10 employees, including its three morning disc jockeys, after a woman died following an on-air water-drinking contest last week.
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