Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by NachtcGleiskette »

This has been the talk of morning radio here for the past week, and I'm sure you guys have heard about it. If not, here's a link!

Woman dies after radio contest

Basically, what happened was this woman took part in a water drinking contest for a Nintendo Wii, and ended up dying of water intoxication not long afterwards. Obviously, the people involved with this stunt were fired not long after, and right now there is being talk of criminal charges being brought up against them.

Granted, the woman signed waivers. However. You have GOT to listen to the audio of this show. These people are so fucking DUMB and have basically signed their fate and will be facing criminal charges. Within the course of the show, the fact that a person CAN die of water intoxication is brought up a few times, and joked about. So, pleading ignorance is kind of out of the question.

http://www.foundrymusic.com/audio.cfm?id=13908 I think this is a link to the audio, but I can't be positive. I'm at work and don't have speakers. I heard the audio on the way to work on the morning show I was listening to, and I went to their site to find this, so hopefully it's it. If it's not, I'll try to find it when I get home ;)

What do you guys think? Should they be held responsible? It's really a very tragic outcome for all involved, and surely it was no ones intent for anyone to get hurt, let alone die. However, they obviously didn't do their research and then the way they basically rebuffed a caller who called to inform them that dying WAS possible is pretty callous. Comments?
"If you live your life to please everyone else, you will continue to feel frustrated and powerless. This is because what others want may not be good for you. You are not being mean when you say NO to unreasonable demands or when you express your ideas, feelings, and opinions, even if they differ from those of others.â€
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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by JSherlock »

The link doesn't work. Sacbee wants us to register before we read anything.
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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by The Drastic Spastic »

So they didn't do enough research, but neither did the people killing themselves for a toy. Unless they'd actually been pouring the water down her gut themselves, they can't really be held liable, I wouldn't think.

But then, I'd think that no one would keep drinking water after they started feeling sick enough to call in to work, so what do I know. I'd only heard of death by water overdose in cases of drug use. Who would have thought that someone in her right mind would drink enough water to die?
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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by Slarti »

I tend to think there will be some sort of criminal (and civil) charges in this, depending upon the type of waiver that the woman signed. There is also overwhelming proof the jockeys were aware of the possible consequences. I think it’s the station itself or the general manager who approved the stunt who would face the civil charges, and the jockeys the criminal.

I just found this on a local crime blog too. http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene ... that_.html
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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by NachtcGleiskette »

Granted, the woman participated and it was dumb to agree to drink so much water. However, she was also assured there was no danger in the stunt. In the clips I heard (which I think are included in that audio link?), a DJ claims that you can't die, because you would throw up before that would happen. Also, she was assured by an intern for the radio station, after her head had begun to hurt and she was worried about how she was feeling, that she was ok, and the worst that would happen is she'd throw up.

I mean, were it a case where the participants were aware of the danger, or a case where NO ONE was aware of the danger, it'd be different. But the people holding the contest have shown they were aware of the dangers, and basically decided they knew better, and then misinformed participants. Sure,t hey didnt mean any harm, but they should have really done their research.
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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by Garble »

I honestly didn't know you could die this way either. Before I read up on it after hearing this case I had just assumed water was one of the few things you can't OD on. A burst bladder maybe, but Hyponatremia? Never heard of it.

So I can't really blame the people who participated for not realizing how dangerous this contest really was. But someone at the radio station should have done some research before allowing this. I'm kind of surprised there weren't any doctors or medical workers who heard about this contest and called in to complain/warn.

Don't know about criminal charges but the family certainly has grounds for a big fat civil suit.

[Edited on 19-1-0707 by Garble]
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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by Saint Kurt »

This has been a huge topic of conversation at the vet school because - one of the first things that gets drilled into you in medical school is: hydration status is critical. Whether it be dehydration or overhydration - the best and fastest way to kill a patient is by screwing this up and it's easy to do when you have access to all sorts of drugs and IV fluids etc.

Hyponatremia - or too little sodium in your body is a serious problem. Your kidneys require massive amounts of sodium in order to function properly. The result of too little sodium and too much water is that your kidneys can't filter your blood and all the toxins and crap backs up into your brain. The result is the brain swells and there's really not much room in the skull. It's critical.

Drinking too much water and not urinating enough results in a condition called a "medullary wash out" in which all the vital electrolytes (like sodium) and proteins needed for kidney function get washed away. It's really hard to do, but it's possible.

So yeah, it is kind of shocking that not a single doctor or medical person suggested that this was a stupid and potentially dangerous contest since when we heard about this 105 vet students said "medullary wash out" simultaneously.

Surely we are not the only medical school in the country to be aware of this phenomenon.

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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by NachtcGleiskette »

Originally posted by Garble
I'm kind of surprised there weren't any doctors or medical workers who heard about this contest and called in to complain/warn.
That's the kicker. A Nurse did call in to warn them that it was dangerous. They kind of fluffed it off and went on their own expertise.
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Manslaughter? Criminal Negligence?

Post by Slarti »

The wrongful death suit has been filed, with a copy of it here:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/ye ... 3wii1.html
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