A preliminary investigation found evidence consistent with a water intoxication death, said assistant Coroner Ed Smith. She was found dead that afternoon in her Rancho Cordova home. Four members of the Chi Tau fraternity pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. 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. ", "We're aware of that," one jock replied. As part of KDND's "Hold your wee for a Wii" contest, Jennifer drank bottle after bottle of water for hours without urinating. At the time of the incident, Laura Rios, one of Strange's co-workers at Radiological Associates of Sacramento said Strange "said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her.". #inline-recirc-item--id-d4637c66-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Tim Curran said Wednesday that the department feels that it has enough information to begin an investigation. As the contestants dropped out, it became clear that some of them were having serious health problems. [53][54], The Media Action Center, a watchdog organization founded by former producer Sue Wilson, filed a petition to deny against KDND's license when it was up for renewal in 2013. The condition is quite rare in the general population, but in distance athletics, it's a known risk and is often avoided by drinking sports drinks instead of water during training and events. Meeting with a lawyer can help you understand your options and how to best protect your rights. [50], The former "Morning Rave" hosts went on other radio jobs in different markets; Cox hosted mornings at KRBB in Wichita, Kansas,[51] and as of 2021, was working at KPLD in St. George, Utah. Strange suffered hyponatremia, or acute water intoxication. According to witness reports, Strange, who placed second in the contest, may have drunk nearly 2 U.S. gallons (7.6L). "She said, 'Oh, my God. All rights reserved. In severe cases of water intoxication, coma and death come fairly quickly as a result of brain swelling. ZIP Campos dropped out with two other contestants when one of them began to vomit. 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. "We were so out of it, so disoriented. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000394.htm, Lillis, Ryan. There were lots of reasons to think Jennifer Strange was in deep trouble after she spent hours guzzling in a water-drinking contest at a Sacramento radio station. 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. What was the cause of Jennifer Strange Death? 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. We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred, he said. They tried to drink as much water as they could without urinating in a bid to win a Nintendo Wii gaming console. Entercom stated that "it is in the company's best interests to voluntarily turn in the KDND license to facilitate the timely FCC approvals for the planned combination with CBS Radio". The contest awarded a Nintendo console to the person who could avoid urinating (or vomiting) after drinking a large quantity of water. "At this time," it said, "we would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Jennifer Strange. It was her choice to enter Friday morning's contest. "Not with water," a male disc jockey replied. [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 . MedlinePlus Encyclopedia. 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. Nov. 2, 2009— -- The husband of a California woman who died after participating in a radio station's water drinking contest said he hopes a jury's $16.5 million compensation award following a wrongful death lawsuit will send a message to other corporations dealing with the public. Chronic dehydration is linked to higher incidences of some . Matt Carrington Ran on: 02-08-2005 Ran on: 02-10-2005 Ran on: 06-04-2005 Because as tragic as Strange's death was, other contestants on Friday were nearly as ill. "No one was more sick than anyone else," Campos says. Symptoms of water intoxication actually look a lot like the symptoms of alcohol intoxication, including nausea, altered mental state, and vomiting. 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. $3 million fentanyl shipment to Maine restaurant prompts arrest .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Matthew Carrington of Pleasant Hill died after drinking huge amounts of water while pledging. 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. She consumed massive amounts of water, developed severe headaches, seizures, coma and died within 24 hours. A mother of three died from water intoxication after a radio station drinking competition, a California coroner said on Saturday. If it's caught early, treatment with IV fluids containing electrolytes can lead to a complete recovery; but untreated, hyponatremia is fatal. The result is that cells desperately try to increase the sodium concentration in body fluids by taking in tremendous amounts of water. Listeners including Eva Brooks had even called into the show to warn about the potential consequences of the game. He is currently a metro columnist, appearing on Tuesdays, Thursdays andSaturdays. All references to the Morning Rave program and associated DJs were removed from the KDND website. 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. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Julia Layton The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also investigated the incident; in 2016, it designated the renewal of KDND's license for hearing, questioning whether the station had operated in the public interest. } For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. [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. They were heckling her. 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. The corporation tried to argue that Strange should have known the contest was dangerous. As a listener who identified herself as "Eve" told the morning crew, people "can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication. On July 11, 2019, Alex shot and killed Lori's fourth husband, Charles Vallow. I feel so awful, I'm about to pass out.' KDND (107.9MHz) was an FM radio station licensed to Sacramento, California, United States. [10][11], In 1974, the Browns bought DrakeChenault's half of KXOA-FM. . Family: Sadistic radio contest caused wrongful death of mom. [22], In July 1996, Brown Broadcasting sold KXOA-AM-FM and KQPT (100.5 FM) to American Radio Systems for $50million, bringing it to the market limit of five FM and three AM stations. Sacramento sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Geary, vice president and marketing manager for Entercom Sacramento, the station's. Jan. 13, 2007. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/13/water.intox.ap/index.html, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security, The London Free Press: Sports drinks fight water intoxication. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Contestants had to drink as much water as they could without going to the bathroom. John Geary, vice president and marketing manager for Entercom Sacramento, the stations owner, said station personnel were stunned when they heard of Stranges death. A legal action is already in the works from an attorney representing the Strange family. 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. 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. 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. A woman who competed in a radio stations contest to see how much water she could drink without going to the bathroom died of water intoxication, the coroners office said Saturday. [26] The combination of rock stations proved a problem for differentiating them and even resulted in changes in airstaff at stablemate KSEG. "Why can't you take in as much water as you want?". "The biggest thing that got most of us was all of the phone calls that came in," she said. "She acted based upon the information she had," Dreyer said, calling the ruling "vindication for Jennifer." 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 [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. "She was in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" competition trying to win a Nintendo Wii video game system." I just assumed that because it was a contest, everything would be checked out.". [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. (AP Photo/Courtsey of the Carrington family via the San Francisco Chronicle) Ran on: 02-04-2005 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. Strange left after taking second place, winning a pair of concert tickets. The Courier News. Sacramento district attorney's office spokeswoman Lana Wyant said prosecutors will be watching the results of the investigation as they consider filing charges. The clips above are highlights of the best-of-the . Among the fired employees were three morning disc jockeys. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}384236N 1212859W / 38.710N 121.483W / 38.710; -121.483. Ybarra said he quit after drinking five bottles. All rights reserved. [37] On January 17, the Los Angeles Times reported that Sacramento Sheriff John McGinness had ordered homicide detectives to investigate whether a crime had been committed. Listen to article [55] In October 2016, the FCC designated Entercom's license renewal for KDND for hearing, disputing whether the station had operated in the public interest over its previous license term, spanning from 2005 to 2013. [16] The KXOA stations also had a regionally recognized news team led by Ken Hunt. Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning, hyperhydration, overhydration, or water toxemia, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe limits by excessive water intake. He co-wrote Splash Hit, about building the Giants waterfrontstadium, with Joan Walsh. If the injury caused by the employee is simply one of the risks of the business, the employer will have to bear the responsibility. "[42] However, Deborah Hoffman of KXTV reported that former prosecutor Bill Portanova commented that "the radio station has some serious liability exposure", due in part to widespread news coverage of the Matthew Carrington case two years earlier. The FCC auctioned the frequency in 2021; iHeartMedia won the bidding, and KSTE-FM (now KZIS) began broadcasting on May 4, 2022. Once the contest was narrowed down to two, Strange and the eventual winner, Lucy Davidson, were brought into the studio. Another joke. Strange was found dead Friday, January 12, 2007, hours after the contest. They were small little half-pint bottles, so we thought it was going to be easy, said fellow contestant James Ybarra of Woodland. Not that anyone at the station seemed concerned. 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. [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. her family is suing the company that owns the. Shortly prior to the start of jury selection in the trial, KDND began to tease that it would be "saying goodbye" on September 8, 2009, leading to speculation that the station was planning to drop The End in favor of a different format or shut down entirely; however, it was later revealed that the campaign was actually for a new commercial-free Tuesdays promotion. Sodium is a positively charged ion, and its role in the body is to circulate the fluids outside of cells. No family members were present at a news conference this week calling for the rejection of the stations licence renewal. Though the defense argued that Strange should have accepted some responsibility in knowing that drinking so much water was dangerous, Billy Strange's attorney Roger Dreyer told "GMA" that she acted as any normal person would have in those circumstances. [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. Cells actively maintain a precise sodium concentration in the body. Originally, the sheriff had said that because the contestants entered under their own free will, there might have been no crime. Meanwhile, the lawsuits are likely to stretch from here to the top of the Sierra. [64], Entercom also paid the Media Action Center $35,000 for attorney fees involved in their petition to deny renewal; in return, the Media Action Center would not challenge other Entercom licenses or the CBS Radio acquisition. [9] Drake-Chenault moved the station to Loma Vista Drive off Fulton Avenue. 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. 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. 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. Jennifer Strange, 28, a mother of three, died from suspected water intoxication after coming second. "I passed out in bed at 11 (a.m.) and didn't wake up until my husband shook me awake at 6 that night.". By the time she left the station she might as well have been drunk, a doctor testified in her trial earlier this week. 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. In a statement, Entercom called Strange's death "a tragedy" and said it respected the jury's decision. You would be surprised by the amount of people who die yearly from . The prize was a Wii video game, worth $250, going to the person who drank most water without peeing. Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, died on January 12 after drinking almost two gallons of water while taking part in a giveaway contest sponsored by Sacramento's KDND-FM. 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. Calif. jury awards $16M in radio contestant death, Employer Liability for an Employee's Bad Acts, From Waterboarding to Employee Harassment: Liability for Employees' Bad Acts, "Hold Your Wee For a Wii" Death Brings Big Verdict, Do I Have a Wrongful Death Case? A wrongful death lawsuit was announced on January 18 on behalf of Strange's husband and three children against Entercom and KDND's operating subsidiary Entercom Sacramento LLC. ", Strange drank nearly two gallons of water in over three hours on Jan. 12, 2007. [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.". The first song on The End was Everybody by Backstreet Boys. I felt like I was drunk. Strange, a mother of three, took part in the contest hoping to win the system for her children, according to reports. The show's DJs called the contest "Hold your Wee for a Wii.". Ten employees were fired following the incident. A 28-year-old participant in the contest died of water intoxication, resulting in Entercom being sued for wrongful death by the participant's family. [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. Billy Strange said adjusting to life without the wife and mother was "a one step at a time process.". You've probably heard the term electrolyte before, whether in reference to sports drinks (which provide electrolytes in addition to fluids) or to certain conditions, such as bulimia or diarrhea, that cause dangerous "electrolyte imbalances" in the body. Over the next month, the jury heard testimony from over 41 witnesses as 192 exhibits were entered into evidence. The Sacramento County coroner said preliminary autopsy findings indicated she died of water intoxication. Format will move down the dial ahead of planned merger", "CBS Sets Radio Division Merger With Entercom", "CBS and Entercom Are Merging Their Radio Stations", "Sue from Fiddletown took a stand in the public interest", "Entercom settles with media watchdog over license dispute", "FCC Report 2/9: Reminding 107.9 Sacramento Applicants Of Short-Spacing Protections", "Delay of Auction of FM Broadcast Construction Permits", "FCC Auction 109 Comes to an End; iHeartMedia Wins 107.9 Sacramento", "Amendment to a New FM Full Power Construction Permit Application", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KDND&oldid=1150926302, "The End" (station located at the right end of American FM broadcast spectrum), KXOA-FM (1945-1961, 19621971, 19781997), This page was last edited on 20 April 2023, at 20:48. The Strange family was represented by prominent Sacramento attorney Roger A. Dreyer of the firm of Dreyer, Babich, Buccola & Callaham, LLP. "She talked about her kids the whole time. And if you found their antics mean and offensive, maybe you just weren't cool enough to get the joke. [49] On October 29, 2009, after a week of deliberations, the jury awarded the survivors of Jennifer Strange the sum of $16,577,118 in monetary damages. Jennifer Strange's youngest daughter was just 11 months old when her mother died. This site is protected by ", Juror Tammy Elliott focused on the cautionary phone calls. [2], In 1970, the KXOA stations were split by then-owner Fuqua Industries, with the AM station leased to investors involved in the ownership of KSJO in San Jose and the FM to a group led by L. Ray Rhodes. The Sacramento news stations report water intoxication. display: none; Water intoxication is basically one form of hyponatremia -- the condition can also be caused by excessive sweating, severe burns, prolonged dehydration and certain liver and kidney problems, among other diseases and conditions. Campos wonders if she somehow could have intervened when Strange became very ill. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Strange had showed fellow contestants photographs of her two sons and daughter, for whom she was hoping to win the Nintendo Wii. display: none; A rather strange bit of news has leaked out today about a radio station in California. In severe cases of water intoxication, coma and death come fairly quickly as a result of brain swelling. [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. 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. } JANUARY 25--The family of the California woman who died from water intoxication after trying to win a video game console in a radio . 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. Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, was among 18 people who entered the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" competition. 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.". 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. display: block; The whole premise is in the title: Hold Your Wee for a Wii. I was talking to her and she was a nice lady, Ybarra said. Water intoxication causes an electrolyte imbalance that affects concentrations of the ion sodium, and it leads to a condition called hyponatremia. "We believe that people are constantly told we should drink water. Strange 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 Wii video game system for the winner. A California jury came back witha huge verdict for the family of a 28 year old woman who died as a result of a radio contest gone bad. Trending News The station's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" challenge awarded the game system to the contestant who could drink the most water without having to take a trip to the bathroom. Jan. 16, 2007. http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/212558 ,3_1_EL16_A7WATER_S1.article, Miner, Josh. Click here to return to the "Good Morning America" Web site. [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. [66], The FCC returned the 107.9 frequency on which KDND was licensed to operate to the agency's inventory of unused channels, to be put up for auction to the highest bidder. They talked about their kids, watched a video on Campos' DVD player, and commiserated about how terrible they felt. A California woman's death is being linked to her participation in a radio contest, the grand prize for which was a Nintendo Wii. Strange had showed fellow. By early 1975, the station had shifted to a soft AOR format, which would be successful throughout the remaining half of the 1970s. Strange, 28, was one of about 18 contestants who tried to win a Nintendo Wii gaming console by seeing how much water they could drink without going to the bathroom. But that changed after investigators heard a tape this week of the on-air conversations and how the hosts disregarded the caller's warnings and signs that Strange and other contestants were experiencing symptoms of intoxication. I just can't stop thinking about it.". Cal State Chico student Matthew Carrington, 21, of Pleasant Hill, collapsed and died of heart failure after members of a fraternity forced him to drink excessive amounts of water while he performed calisthenics during a hazing ritual on Feb. 2, 2005. [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. In that contest, a woman died, Wilson said. [18] Daniels moved to drop 1960s songs from the station's repertoire, and in May 1993, the station flipped to a more uptempo adult contemporary format branded as Xtra 107.9, advertising itself as featuring "no rap, metal, or Madonna". Each contestant had to drink an 8-ounce (226.8-gram) bottle of water within two minutes. Media Action Center founder Sue Wilson, producer of a 2009 documentary, Broadcast Blues, on Stranges death, said the groups intend to formally serve papers when FCC commissioners meet in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22. 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.
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