Radio contest wrongful death suit opens

SACRAMENTO, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A California radio station is responsible for the death of a woman who died after drinking large amounts of water for a contest, plaintiffs' attorneys say.

But lawyers for Entercom Communications Corp. of Philadelphia are contending in a multimillion-dollar wrongful death trial that 31-year-old Jennifer Strange's death in January 2007 wasn't predictable and that the mother of three bore some of the burden for her own fate, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The wrongful death suit centers around a contest held by Entercom's Sacramento station "The End" 107.9. In briefs filed for the case, plaintiffs' lawyers say Strange was a victim of the station's drive for ratings in a contest called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii," in which contestants were urged to drink as much as 16 ounces of water every 10 minutes to win a Wii game console.

Contestants "were literally drinking themselves to death and did not know it," they wrote.

The Bee said Strange's autopsy indicated she died after the contest from acute water intoxication.

The station's lawyers, however, reportedly argue that no one was aware a person could die from voluntarily drinking too much water.