Water Intoxication Death

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Water Intoxication Death
2
Tue, 01-16-2007 - 6:51am

Radio show off air after fatality


By Christina Jewett - Bee Staff Writer

Last Updated 12:38 am PST Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1


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(i. e. Even though her name is the same as my maiden name, there's no relation).



The "Morning Rave" radio show -- which sponsored a water-drinking contest that preceded Friday's death of a Rancho Cordova mother of three -- will be taken off the air indefinitely, according to executives at The End (KDND, 107.9 FM).


Jennifer Lea Strange, 28, drank nearly two gallons of water -- 224 ounces -- at the radio station over three hours, according to a contestant who drank one fewer bottle of water.


Strange was found dead in her home about five hours later.




The Sacramento County Coroner's Office said Saturday that Strange died of apparent water intoxication.

She was the runner-up among about 18 competitors in a "Hold your Wee for a Wii" contest for a Nintendo gaming console.


A spokesman for the radio station said Monday afternoon that the station had suspended the morning drive show pending an internal investigation.


The show's DJs -- who go by the names Trish, Maney and Lukas -- and morning personalities Carter and Fester will not be heard on the radio until the investigation is complete, the station said.


John Geary, the station's vice president and general manager, posted a statement on its Web site:


"All of you are probably aware of the tragic death of a contestant, Jennifer Strange, following her participation in a contest on the Morning Rave last Friday.


"First and foremost, our thoughts and sympathies go out to Jennifer's family and loved ones.


"I also want to assure you that the circumstances regarding this matter are being examined as thoroughly as possible. We are doing everything we can to deal with this difficult situation in a manner that is both respectful and responsible. In the interim, the Morning Rave is off the air indefinitely."


The "Morning Rave" has aired from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays, with top-40 music, news and traffic.


Topics of discussion have ranged from ghost sightings to celebrity gossip. The show has a "Confession Wednesday" call-in segment and airs parody songs.


Paris Hilton and Will Ferrell have been interviewed on the show, and Hilary Swank was scheduled to go on the air this week.


During Friday's contest, Victoria Myers, 23, vied alongside Strange for the new Nintendo gaming console, which sells for about $250.


Myers said the event was lighthearted and fun at first. But she said the mood changed when Myers lay on the floor. She said she was pale and her teeth were chattering. The remaining four contestants grew concerned, she said, asking if she was OK.


Still, Myers said, she went on the air in her sickened state, and, moments later, DJ Trish told her a caller said Myers had sounded like she was going to die.


"I felt like I was going to die," Myers said. "They were not concerned about our health or our risk."


Another contestant, Jennifer Winsor, 46, of Sacramento, said she chugged eight 8-ounce bottles of water and nine 16-ounce bottles of water before she gave up and went to the bathroom.


Winsor said Strange drank a 10th larger bottle of water.


Strange went on the air after drinking all the water, and Winsor said Strange expressed that she felt ill on-air. However, contestant Myers said Strange made no reference to her well-being -- she just sounded terrible.


"You could tell she was at her point," Myers said.


A KDND station spokesman refused a request for a recording of the show Monday.


A spokesman said Geary, the station's general manager, wouldn't comment beyond his statement. The radio personalities didn't respond to e-mail requests.


Another contestant, Elidia Campos, said Strange looked pale after she accepted her prize -- tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert. She said the women sat together, heads in hands, in the lobby of the Madison Avenue radio station Friday morning.


"She was that sick," Campos said. "She looked pale, her eyes were super watery, and everyone was really nauseous."


After Strange left, she called her employer -- Radiological Associates -- and told them she wouldn't be coming into work, contrary to her initial plan. Strange was crying and complaining of a headache and nausea, coworker Angela Krause said.


Coworkers asked Strange's mother to look in on her, and she found her daughter dead shortly after 4 p.m.


Strange is survived by her husband, William Strange, and children, ages 10, 3 and 11 months.


Judith Linder, a nurse practitioner, said she heard the Morning Rave show when she was driving into work in North Highlands on Friday morning. She found it troubling. She and two co-workers called the radio station on a speaker phone, and their comments that water intoxication can be dangerous were part of the broadcast.


A DJ retorted, asking them why they didn't join the contest. Linder said they replied: We don't want to die.


"I was thinking, 'Who else could I call?' Endangering someone's health should be against the law," Linder said.


The Sheriff's Department said it wasn't conducting a criminal investigation of the death.


Lawrence Levine, a professor at McGeorge School of Law, said callers' warnings could be significant in a civil case.


He said a jury would likely be asked whether the radio station might have expected harm as a result of its actions. The callers' warning should have raised red flags, and so should another incident involving fatal water intoxication.


In 2005, a Chico State fraternity pledge died of water intoxication during a night of hazing. The case and ensuing prosecution and conviction of fraternity members was well-publicized.


"If this had never happened before, then they're on stronger footing saying they didn't know about the risk," Levine said.


Coroner's officials said Saturday that Strange's autopsy revealed no life-threatening medical conditions and appeared "consistent with a water intoxication death." It added, however, "the final cause of death will not be available for several months."


Dr. John Rose, a UC Davis Medical Center emergency room physician and professor, said the amount of water Strange reportedly drank could be lethal.


Drinking an excessive amount of water, he said, could lead to a fatal swelling of the brain.


"A lot of people think of water being so healthy and good for you, but there's a point where anything can be dangerous," he said.

       ~~Rhonda~~


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Avatar for bootywhompus
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 01-16-2007 - 7:58am

Hold your wee for a Wii?

Lori

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-15-2003
Wed, 01-17-2007 - 2:00pm
This is just so heartbreaking...leaving behind an 11 month old, 3 year old and 10 year old?
“You can only grow if you’re willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” -Brian Tracy