Should the Dj's face Criminal Charges?

United States
January 18, 2007 10:44am CST
Should the Dj's from this radio station be charged with Criminal Charges? Apparently the woman signed a release saying that they nor the radio station could be held responsible if she were to be harmed or die, so should they be charged or is her death completely on herself? Should her family be able to file a wrongful death suit against the radio station even though she did sign a release? Police Probe Death After Radio Contest AP (Jan. 17) - Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a woman believed to have been killed by drinking too much water in a radio station contest. On a tape of the Jan. 12 show, disc jockeys on KDND-FM's "Morning Rave" joke about the possible dangers of consuming too much water, at one point alluding to a college student who died during such a stunt in 2005. A listener called the show to warn the DJs that the stunt was dangerous and that someone could die. "Yeah, we're aware of that," one of them said. Another DJ laughed: "Yeah, they signed releases, so we're not responsible. We're OK." "And if they get to the point where they have to throw up, then they're going to throw up, and they're out of the contest before they die, so that's good, right?" another one said. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department decided to pursue the investigation Wednesday after listening to the tape, obtained by The Sacramento Bee newspaper, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said. Jennifer Lea Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, was one of about 18 contestants who tried to win a Nintendo Wii gaming console by determining how much water they could drink without going to the bathroom. The show's DJs called the contest "Hold your Wee for a Wii." "Hey, Carter, is anybody dying in there?" a DJ asked during the show. "We got a guy who's just about to die," the other responded, and all the DJs laughed. "I like that we laugh about that," another said. "Make sure he signs the release. ... Get the insurance on that, please." Strange participated in the contest during the morning in the studio and was found dead that afternoon. The county coroner said preliminary autopsy findings indicate she died of water intoxication. Other contestants said Strange may have ingested as much as two gallons of water. Several hours into the contest, Strange was interviewed on the air and complained that her head hurt. "They keep telling me that it's the water. That it will tell my head to hurt and then it will make me puke," she said. Strange won the second-place prize, tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert. She commented on the tape that she looked pregnant, and a female DJ agreed. "Oh, my gosh, look at that belly. That's full of water. ... Come on over, Jennifer, you OK?" the DJ asked. "You going to pass out right now? Too much water?" On Tuesday, KDND's parent company, Entercom/Sacramento, fired 10 employees connected to the contest, including three morning disc jockeys. The company also took the morning show off the air. Station spokesman Charles Sipkins said Wednesday that the company had not yet heard from the sheriff's department but that it would cooperate with the investigation. Attorneys for the Strange family said Wednesday they plan to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the radio station. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. This is the link to watch the news video http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/police-probe-death-after-radio-contest/20070117182009990001
8 people like this
39 responses
• United States
18 Jan 07
No she made the choice no-one forced her to do such a stupid and dangerous thing.
3 people like this
@7nicole1 (1633)
• Canada
19 Jan 07
I can't actually believe something like this happened but no I think the radio should not be held responsible its not like they forced her to drink all the water plus it was for a contest so you know she kind of deserve what she got even though that sounds rude.
2 people like this
• United States
19 Jan 07
I don't think they should be held liable because she signed a waiver and if she had read it I am assusming it talked about the dangers of the contest. She had the choice to stop at any point. I do think it was in poor taste for the DJs to be joking about people getting sick during the contest. I feel they didn't realize how serious the stunt was to the health of the participants. I kind of feel firing them was a little overboard. Suspension might have been in order for not closely monitoring the contestants more. Which is something the radio station or whoever sanctioned the stunt should have set up. There should have been EMTs or something there to watch the contestants. I can see fault in the station for not having that but in the end it was the woman's choice to do the contest and she is responsible for her own actions.
2 people like this
• United States
19 Jan 07
she was also offered to take second place and accept the Justin Timberlake tickets once before she finally gave in, I feel that if she were feeling so bad she should have stopped then and settled, but some people are too greedy I guess
1 person likes this
@crystal8577 (1466)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I think even with a waiver the family should be allowed to sue. It is a disgrace that the Djs thought this was all fun & games. The jokes they made were in poor taste. I really hope the djs are feeling terrible about all of this.
2 people like this
• United States
18 Jan 07
I am sure they are, and the jokes were bad
1 person likes this
@inked4life (4224)
• United States
18 Jan 07
My initial reaction on hearing the story was that they shouldn't be held responsible (I had never heard of water intoxication prior to this and assumed maybe they hadn't either), but after reading your post I definitely think charges should be laid against them and the radio station. If they knew the dangers going in then they have to be held responsible.
2 people like this
• United States
19 Jan 07
I'm not sure that they can be held legally responsible, as she did sign a release. I do agree with the firing of the employee's involved, because I think they should have been a little less callous about it, espically after someone called in telling them how dangerous that this was. I know they felt they were being entertaining, but where do you draw the line.
• United States
18 Jan 07
Even though she signed the consent I think they should be held responsable. I dont think anyone knew they could die.
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Jan 07
I think that she should have researched it before participating
• United States
18 Jan 07
Regardless of the fact that they had the participants sign a release, they are responsible for their actions.
2 people like this
@CyborgMC (173)
• United States
19 Jan 07
This is a very sad case indeed. Unfortunately, she is an adult and went into this with enough of a presence of mind to sign a release form. So no, I do no think the radio station should be held liable, but, if they have any heart at all, they will try to come to a settlement with the family.
2 people like this
• United States
18 Jan 07
I heard about this story a few days ago but I didn't realize that they had been joking about it right before it happened. Even though a paper was signed, I still think that the family should be able to sue. This was a very stupid stunt... and the way the dj's acted about it beforehand... I'm glad that they were fired and the show pulled from the air. Maybe the people had a choice to do the contest..so what? They didn't really think that they would die over it. The DJ's probably didn't think anyone would die over it either but they still joked about it and stuff, eck, very poor taste. I hope that they feel guility now.
2 people like this
@wesderby (178)
• United States
18 Jan 07
Something that I heard mentioned on a radio show this morning is, with most radio contests, the program director or general manager of the station firsts runs the contest by the station's lawyers to find out what the legal ramifications may be. I'm REALLY curious to know who at the top approved the contest, and what the lawyers for Entercom had to say about it as far as the legalities and liabilities. I wouldn't go after the DJs, but I could certainly see a neglegence suit being brought against Entercom Sacramento and its attorneys. The other interesting fact I heard on our local news is that she worked as a secretary in some sort of medical office. She apparently called in sick that day, complaining of pain, and told a coworker what it was from...You'd think someone in that office with SOME medical training would've had an idea what it was and told her to get to a doctor/hospital immediately. There's a lot of blame that can be passed around here, but it all comes down to personal responsibility. As someone mentioned earlier, there's information about this online...She should've done her research beforehand. Then, she could have either elected not to participate in the contest, or punched out a lot earlier.
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Jan 07
Gee thanks for that assumption about how some lawyers get through law school. Believe it or not, cheaters are kicked out of law school and prohibited from taking the bar. In short, a cheater cannot become a lawyer. It is possible that the lawyers involved were looking at it from a publicity, privacy, defamation/slander, public embarassment point of view, not a medical, physicial liability perspective.
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Jan 07
Rolling eyes. You know, there are many cheaters that never get caught.
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Jan 07
The thing is that they did not hide the fact this could kill her. She did sign the release knowing that information. I do see that there really is lack of senses in this radio station. Someone had to sign off for them to actually go through with the whole thing. Their legal department should have advised them not to do it.
• United States
19 Jan 07
Its pretty bad, but i don't know... I really wish she didn't die, its too sad, having tried it for her kids. I don't think they should though, because it was a assumingly safe contest, and she did sign something. It just terrible that it happened, Im sure the radio people had no intention or idea of the possible consequence.
2 people like this
• United States
19 Jan 07
I heard about this as I was coming home from school. It's horrible how they laughed at how it could kill people. I do think they should be faced for criminal charges.
2 people like this
@gsnarayanan (1704)
• India
19 Jan 07
It is a criminal case agaist all those involved on such a show. They have committed a crime fully knowing that some one will die.
1 person likes this
@wahmoftwo (1296)
• United States
19 Jan 07
That is so sad. I doubt that anything will come of it for her family though since she signed that realease. Do the owners of the radio station not know what there employees are up to? I can't believe so many people just stood back and watched/listeneed to this. So terribly sad...
1 person likes this
@mirage108 (3402)
• United States
19 Jan 07
I think they should be charged as they knew that there was the possibility of water intoxication. they laughed about it and they didnt warn anyone. nor did they have medical available nor call 911 for medical attention to this even when the person was complaining of a head ache or anything else they should have at least offered some sort of help
1 person likes this
@kawillow74 (1416)
• United States
19 Jan 07
I was really sick when I seen that story on the news last night I could not believe how the DJ's where laughing and she was sick. And it just amazes me what people will do for a free game console. It make me sad to think people thinks o little of themself. She oftered to drink more what the hell are these people thinking.
1 person likes this
• Canada
19 Jan 07
It's stupidity on the woman's part for participating, but also on the part of the radio station for offering the contest. I think the people who organized this stupid contest need to be charged with something...I'm just not 100% sure what.
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Jan 07
I saw this too last night on the news! I never knew and I am sure the dj's didn't know either. They should be held somewhat responisble, but they never really wanted anyone to get hurt. Doesn't the station have someone checking things out befor ethey go off to do these crazy thing. I bet a lot of stations will now have someone checkingo ut all the risks to the stunts they do.
1 person likes this