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Radio Station Fined $16M For Fatal Contest
Mom died of water intoxication in effort to win Wii for her kids
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Oct 30, 09 3:37 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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A Sacramento radio station has been ordered to pay $16 million to the family of a woman who died during its "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. The woman, who was trying to win the game console for her three children, died of water intoxication after taking part in the contest to see who could drink the most water without urinating or vomiting, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The jury decided that the operators of KDND-FM were negligent in allowing the contest to proceed despite warnings that drinking too much water could be fatal. "Couldn't you get water poisoning and, like, die?" one host asked during the show. "Your body is 98% water, why can't you take in as much water as you like?" responded her colleague. No criminal charges were filed over the incident, but 10 employees were fired.