Trial set in water intoxication death resulting from radio contest

The headline in today's Sacramento Bee is "Survivors Say Stunt Left Them Twisted," and the story is about the civil litigation arising from a January 2007 radio contest called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii." One contestant, 28-year-old Jennifer Strange died from water intoxication as a result of the contest, and her family has brought a wrongful death action against radio station KDND. Several other contestants have also filed suit, claiming emotional distress-type damages.

Here is an excerpt from Sam Stanton's story, which highlights some unusual manifestations of the contestants alleged emotional distress:

After three of Strange's fellow contestants sued the broadcaster for emotional distress, Entercom Communications Corp. sought mental exams and questioned why their alleged problems after Strange's death "magically changed" and began "affecting their ability to drink water, impacting their families, causing sleeplessness and generalized anxiety, and depression."

One had weekly thoughts of suicide, according to court documents.

The winner of the contest, Lucy Davidson, said she was terribly sick afterward and vomited while still at the station. Now, she says, she can't listen to the radio because she is afraid of contests, and in her job at Wal-Mart she experiences "an inappropriate emotional reaction" when she sees someone put bottled water in their carts.

The consolidated case against the radio station and several individual defendants is set to go to trial on 31 August in Sacramento Superior Court.