Marcos Bretón: Measuring blame in water death

It's as sensational as it gets, a wrongful death case played out on live radio in Sacramento, a woman trying so hard to win a prize for her kids that she kept drinking water until it killed her.

The question now is: What's the price tag for the death of a 28-year-old mother of three named Jennifer Strange?

It's up to the civil courts to decide because, after all, they are the arbiters of American pathology.

The Sacramento County district attorney wouldn't file charges against a corporate entity and its radio station employees in the disturbing death of Strange Jan. 12.

So what else can be done but sue for damages when degradation as entertainment ends as a crime?

Not a "criminal" crime, of course. A crime against human decency. A crime against three children, who were between the ages of 10 years and 11 months old when their mom consumed more than 2 gallons of water while trying to win them a Nintendo console.

The "game" was called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii." The object was to drink as much water as possible without urinating. The prize was a Nintendo Wii, valued at $250.

Those are pretty cheap stakes, all things considered. That's death at a low, low price.

Maybe that's why Strange isn't sympathetic enough for some of you? Maybe avoiding urination for a $250 prize is too small time for big sympathy? Maybe if college tuition were the stakes, she'd be more sympathetic?

Obviously, no one intended death for any of the 20 contestants packed into the Madison Avenue studios of The End (KDND, 107.9 FM) in January.

No one guarded the back door or forced Strange at gunpoint to down 8-fluid-once bottles of water until they mortally diluted the sodium levels in her body.

Who dies by lethal water bottle?

"I consider myself a pretty educated person and I didn't know it could happen," said Lisa Pruitt, a law professor at UC Davis.

Yes. In water intoxication cases, sodium levels in the body fall dangerously due to overhydration, causing cramps, nausea, vomiting -- and convulsions, coma and death in dire cases.

This was a dire case. Callous on-air laughter accompanied Strange and others as they guzzled water in unnatural quantities.

A radio listener called and warned of the dangers of water intoxication.

And a DJ even said: "They signed releases, so we're not responsible." There was then more humorless laughter.

Strange finished in second place that day, earning Justin Timberlake tickets for her trouble. She said on the air that she had a headache and felt light-headed.

She was dying on the radio, went home, called in sick to work. And then died.

Why didn't Strange walk away, show some personal responsibility? Many Bee readers stated as much on sacbee.com on Friday, in response to an article on how former DJs at The End are blaming their bosses.

Some seem to be sickened by a culture that ignores self responsibility, as shown in the famous McDonald's case of the woman who sued for big money when she spilled hot coffee on herself.

This case is different, OK? Somebody died. Somebody should have been responsible. The onus shouldn't solely have been on Strange.

The Strange family already has paid a mortal price for this. Three kids have no mother because no one was responsible.

Monetary damages won't bring Strange back. But what's the alternative? Letting the radio people off with a warning?

About the writer:

• Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096 or mbreton@sacbee.com. Listen to him at 8:40 a.m. Tuesdays on NewsTalk 1530 KFBK. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/breton.