Last week I wrote about the sad story of the mother who died of water intoxication after competing in a contest at a local radio station. Today I wanted to give you an update on what’s happening with this issue as well as some facts we didn’t have last week,
10 employees of this Sacramento-area radio station were fired including the three morning disc jockeys that were involved in the on-air water-drinking contest. Currently there are no criminal charges being explored by the local sheriff’s department because it was a contest and the contestants were not coerced. However, there was a caller who identified him or herself as a nurse who called the station and commented on the air to the disc jockeys that:
I want to say that those people drinking all that water can get sick and die from water intoxication. The DJ then responded that they were aware of that and that all the contestants signed releases so they weren’t responsible. The news report declined to identify which of the DJ’s responded with those words.
However, another contestant identified as Donnie Logdon, stated that none of the contestants who were in the room participating in the water drinking heard this on air warning. Jennifer Strange, age 28, was the second to the last person to stop drinking. She stated on the air that she wasn’t feeling well.
“My head hurts. They keep telling me that it’s the water…that it will tell my head to hurt and it’ll make me puke.” Strange told the DJ, live on the air, before leaving the station. “Who told you that, the intern?” was the DJ’s response, according to a KOVR-TV news report.
The Morning Rave show and 10 employees, including the three DJ’s of this top rated morning program were terminated. The station stated the employees violated the terms of their employment agreements. Reports indicate at this time at Jennifer Strange consumed almost two gallons of water and appeared ill when she went on the air. She called in sick to work, complaining of a violent headache and was found dead five hours later in her home.
Sad Story
This story remains a tragedy for the Strange family who were deprived of a wife, a daughter and a mother of three children. I know many of you commented on the fact that you hadn’t realized that water intoxication could be a problem. This highlights a common misconception and it’s one that we need to educate our children and ourselves about. You can read more about Jennifer Strange here and about water intoxication in can you drink Too Much Water?
UPDATE
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is opening an investigation into possible criminal charges in the death of Jennifer Strange. Authorities opened the case after hearing a tape of the show in which DJs joked about the water consumption, their freedom from responsibility in the case of anything happening and even alluding to a college hazing death in 2005 due to water intoxication. Attorneys for the Strange family intend to file a wrongful death suit against the radio station.
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