A 28 year old mother of three died on Friday after being in a water-drinking contest on a local radio station. The person who could drink the most water without going to the bathroom would win a Wii console.
They weren't warned about the serious health dangers of drinking heavy amounts of water, the station apparently did no research to make sure it was safe. While the contest was going on a nurse called the radio station warning them that drinking lots of water all at once can be dangerous, but the radio hosts didn't listen to her. Many of the contestants got sick, this woman who came in second place died later that day from water intoxication.
Shouldn't the radio station be responsible for informing people that what they are doing is dangerous? When you offer people prizes for dangerous acts that you don't warn them is dangerous, is that ethical? Was it responsible of the hosts to blow off the nurse's warning?
2007-01-15 10:50:32 · 14 answers · asked by romulusnr 5 in News & Events ➔ Other - News & Events
If you invite people to enter a contest and you don't tell them what they have to do is not safe, is that ethical? Should you have some liability?
Did the radio station not know it was not safe? Should they have made sure instead of assuming? Is that negligent? Was it further negligence not to pass on the words of a nurse to the contestants?
2007-01-15 18:11:42 · update #1
The DJs discussed among themselves on-air that the stunt could be dangerous and one admitted that "they should have researched it more". But the contestants say they were never warned that the stunt was dangerous. http://www.nbc11.com/news/10762819/detail.html
The DJs have been fired and the show has been cancelled. http://www.nbc4.tv/news/10771276/detail.html
Sad but true, the radio station is nicknamed "The End".
2007-01-19 04:26:45 · update #2
The station & DJs should be held responsible. DJs said contestents "signed releases, so we're not responsible" meaning DJs knew they risks, but nevertheless put people at fatal risk.
To demostrate how careless the DJs were I will give an exmaple of a dangerous activity: scuba diving. To participate in this sport you need:
1. to sign a release
2. Get medical exam
3. Train & dive according to strict rules
Accidents happen when rules are abused. The water contest had:
1. No prior medical exam to screen which contestents were fit to participate
2. No rules, people were allowed to drink as much as possible.
The contest could have been perfectly safe if people had a prior medical exam & water intake was limited to safe amount e.g. 1.5- 2 liters.
Anyway contests like this should be avoided as they are nosense. Imitation can lead to accidents. Why not having some knowledge contest?
2007-01-18 08:38:12 · answer #1 · answered by No_Fins 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Tonight i watched the Larry King Live show, which featured the woman who won, after drinking about a gallon and a half of water. The show did play audio tapes of segments of the show, including those of the nurse who called in, and the jockeys making a joke of it, saying "Oh, is anyone dead back there yet?" and otherwise ridiculing the woman who was clearly concerned with the contestants' health. The audio tapes also include words from the victim, Jennifer Strange, when she finally gave up, saying "her head hurt", and that her belly was swelled enough that she could pass for 3 months pregnant. After calling in work sick, she was found dead 5 hours later.
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So what does this mean? Larry spoke with a registered nurse studying the case. The station is indeed liable as 10 employees involved have been fired and the show under suspension. No health risks were alerted, or possibly even researched, as you said, and the contestants actually signed release forms before beginning the contest.
I'm not certain, but I think that, by law, the station was supposed to let the participants know what they were getting into. This case can be debated for hours but in the end the participants should have been told soon enough before beginning that they could drop out if desired.
2007-01-17 17:44:44 · answer #2 · answered by ? 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the radio station should liable for the death. First they did not give a warning and second they blew off their only warning the nurse. They should have taken to account what the nurse said and should have done some research for the danger of drinking large amounts of water.
...
But if the radio station made the contestents sign a wavier with the warning on it then the radio station is not liable.
2007-01-15 11:06:06 · answer #3 · answered by S 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
YES the radio station is clearly liable for the death of Jennifer Strange. Even if you get someone to sign a waiver you cannot waive away your responsibility when it comes to gross negligence. The radio station invited and encouraged members of the public to participate in a dangerous activity. The radio station was even put on notice of the risks inherent in the activity when a medical professional called the station. It is pretty close to murder when you offer someone a reward for doing something that you know is likely to kill them. These people should go to prison. By the way, isn't it ironic that Jennifer Strange had such a strange death and that the radio station called The End really was the end for at least one listener?
2007-01-17 18:49:55 · answer #4 · answered by ? 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hell yes the station should be held liable! It was their contest. Was there a medical professional on-site? Did the station seek the advice of a medical professional? Obviously not. Three children have lost their mother over a stupid contest that wasn't well thought out. The station exercised poor judgment coming up with this contest in the first place. The idiot who came up with this contest should go down...ans so should his/her manager for not telling him/her it was a bad idea!!
2007-01-18 00:36:33 · answer #5 · answered by KJ 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
well, on one hand, the station had the contestants sign a waiver, to escape legal action. Isn't that sort of an admission of guilt, since that would show that this stunt may be hazardous to one's health? They blew off the nurse's warning, and that right there show's stupidity. The contest should have been stopped at that moment the nurse gave her medical advice.
I say fry those bastards! A poor woman is dead because of them!
2007-01-18 20:10:30 · answer #6 · answered by snafu1 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes. Apparently someone phoned the station during the contest and told the radio people the dangers of the contest. The radio people admitted on air during the contest that they knew it was dangerous. The contest organizers knew at the time of the contest the woman was in difficulties.
2016-03-28 23:17:16 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'll bet the Radio Station is scrambling now to prepare for the onslaught of law suits. This has to be one of the most irresponsible acts ever. Not to say the extreme lack of smarts it would take to participate.
2007-01-15 12:43:49 · answer #8 · answered by Bad Samaritan 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
While the radio station should have done more research,the woman entered the contest of her own free will.She wasn't forced.Contestants also have to take some responsibility when they enter these things.
2007-01-15 15:38:35 · answer #9 · answered by mizzjerry 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes. In California, students were charged with murder for asking another student to drink a lot of water.
Those students are now in prison.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2005/10/2005103108n.htm
Click on cancel when the password window comes up.
http://www.sigmapi.org/spNewsArticle.cfm?articleID=204
2007-01-15 10:59:39 · answer #10 · answered by member_of_bush_family 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋