DJs laugh as young mum slowly kills herself drinking water live on air
A chilling incident unfolded on American radio when two DJs were heard chuckling as a contestant fatally overdosed on water live on air, all in the hopes of securing a Nintendo Wii for her kids.
Jennifer Strange, 28, took part in KDND-FM 107.9's Morning Rave show on January 12, 2007, aiming to win the sought-after gaming console for her three children, just months after its release.
The 'Hold Your Pee for a Wii' contest required participants to consume copious amounts of water without relieving themselves, with the last person standing winning the Nintendo Wii.
From 6:45am, Jennifer was among 18 contestants drinking from 240ml bottles every quarter of an hour at the KDND studios in Sacramento, California, with the volume of water intake increasing as the competition progressed.
On-air, Jennifer expressed discomfort, saying, "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," to which a host responded jokingly, "Who told you that, the intern?", reports the Mirror.
The presenters continued to mock the situation, commenting on Jennifer's distended abdomen, laughing, "She looks pregnant," and remarking, "This is so funny."
After consuming an alarming 7.6 litres of water and coming in second place, Jennifer called a colleague to say she was in excruciating pain and wouldn't make it to work. Tragically, her mother discovered her lifeless body at home just an hour later.
During the lawsuit initiated by Jennifer's family, it emerged that several listeners of the show, including a nurse, had tried to stop the prank by calling the DJs to alert them about the potential dangers.
Eva Brooks voiced her concerns saying: "Those people that are drinking all that water can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication," but was told by the show that they "were aware of that" and that participants had signed releases absolving the station of responsibility.
Despite these warnings, the competition proceeded, with the volume of water ingested escalating as the event progressed.
The Strange family's solicitor, Roger Dreyer, refuted claims that Jennifer had signed any liability waiver, pointing out that the radio station couldn't present such a document in court. She had only agreed to a form allowing the use of the contest for promotional purposes.
Following Jennifer's tragic demise, The Morning Rave broadcast was immediately taken off air, and the station was ordered to compensate her family $16.5million for wrongful death. No criminal charges were brought forward in relation to the incident.
Her husband, William Strange, lamented on Good Morning America, "It was a preventable thing," while Dreyer remarked: "She acted based upon the information she had."
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