Civil Trial for Jennifer Strange Case Begins
Jury selection for the civil trial began this week, for the case of Jennifer Strange. Strange, a 28 year-old mother of 3, and a Rancho Cordova resident, who died on Jan. 12, 2007 of water intoxication after participating in a contest called “Hold your wee for a Wii”. The contest was sponsored by local radio station KDND, 107.9 The End. The contestants were competing for the popular Wii video game system and drank large amounts of water without using the bathroom to see who could drink the most and “hold it” the longest.
Strange, who did not win the contest, decided to opt out in favor of concert tickets instead, as she began to complain of stomach and head pain after ingesting over 1.5 gallons of water. She would never have the opportunity to use those concert tickets, as she was found dead in her home just hours after the contest.
No criminal charges were filed against the radio station, or hosts involved, as an investigation by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau revealed that Strange exhibited no signs of a serious medical emergency requiring station employees to administer or seek medical attention for her.
It was also revealed that Strange had signed a waiver of responsibility, and discussed with the station’s personnel, the possible dangers of competing in the contest. Strange’s family settled their claims against hosts and employees of KDND for $100, 000, according to a court document, but are now suing Entercom Sacramento, the station’s owner, and its market manager and vice president, John Geary for at least $1.1 million in the civil case.
The Defense’s stance is that Strange willingly and knowingly participated in the contest, even conducting a “trial run” the day prior to the contest, and was aware of the possible dangers. They plan to introduce witness testimony in which a friend of Strange’s was allegedly observed calling in to the show during the contest and warning Strange of the danger of water intoxication.
The Plaintiffs claim, amongst other allegations, that because the DJs had been discussing, prior to the contest, the case of a Chico college student’s death from water intoxication in 2005, and also because a listener called in during the broadcast and warned them all of the dangers of water toxemia, that Entercom is liable for Jennifer Strange’s untimely death.
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