Family suing Wii-contest radio station

In another twist to the tragic tale, attorney Roger Dreyer will be representing the family of Jennifer Strange, a mother of three who died after taking part in a KDND 107.9 competition titled "Hold Your Wee for a Wii," reports The Sacramento Bee. Dreyer told reporters that the disc jockeys and radio employees that were responsible for the competition would be named in the suit and that Nintendo may also be named if it is found that the company had any role in the promotion.

Strange drank an estimated two gallons of water during the contest, which had the 20 people taking part drinking as much as possible without using the bathroom. The first prize was a Nintendo Wii console, which Strange had been trying to win for her children. However, after the show, the 28-year-old called in sick to work, saying her head hurt "really bad," and she was later found dead in her suburban home.

The coroner's initial report found that her death appeared to be consistent with water intoxication. Drinking excess amounts of water causes the problem of too little sodium in the body (hyponatremia) and can cause swelling of the brain, vomiting, headaches, seizures, coma, and, in extreme cases, death.

Ten employees of the radio show have already been fired, and after listening to audio tapes of the show--in which DJs disregarded a caller warning of the danger involved and dismissed the death of student Matthew Carrington of water intoxication in a fraternity hazing ritual in 2005--Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness opened a criminal investigation into the woman's death.

Dreyer told reporters, "Everything that we've found in our research indicates that they just didn't pay attention to...the potential consequence of this contest."