Too high a Price for a Wii

[1K3]

A 28-year-old suburban Sacramento woman died of apparent “water intoxication” after participating in a contest — “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” — sponsored by local radio station 107.9 KDND. The rules were simple: Participants simply competed to see how much water they could drink without going to the bathroom. The winner would receive a shiny new Wii video game console, the highly coveted, $250 must-have from Nintendo.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/too-high-a-price-for-a-wii/


I'd rather die trying to get PS3 than Wii!

[Blank]

Should rename your thread:

"Dieing for A Wii"

[ChickenHawk]

Sad story.  A family is without a mother, employees will be fired and a radio station will be served with a gigantic law suit.  The only winners here will once again be the lawyers.

With several of these kinds of incidents in the news the last couple years you would think that the general population would know the dangers of diluting your sodium levels with too much water all at once.

[Sandman]

Darwin strikes again.

[Maverick]

Originally posted by Sandman
Darwin strikes again.

+1 with a side of greed on both sides of this equation.

[Russian]

This is not a tragedy but a clear case of stupidity. The only person at fault already paid the price so learn to accept responsibility and stop blaming others for own stupid mistakes. Blaming radio show…how ridiculous.

[Mickey1992]

Originally posted by Russian
Blaming radio show…how ridiculous.

BS.  They coordinated the "stunt".  Poll the general population and see how many know of water intoxication.  I hope the radio station gets raked over the coals.  All in the name of higher ratings and the mighty dollar.

[Russian]

Originally posted by Mickey1992
BS.  They coordinated the "stunt".  Poll the general population and see how many know of water intoxication.  I hope the radio station gets raked over the coals.  All in the name of higher ratings and the mighty dollar.

I guess you're the type of a person that blames pen for mistakes.....

[Mickey1992]

Originally posted by Russian
I guess you're the type of a person that blames pen for mistakes.....

Not if they know or should know the risks.  Like I said, how many in the general public know about water intoxication?  When they signed the waiver did it mention the risks?  Chances are it was just a regular cover-our-arse waiver.  I have not found any indication that there was medical personnel on the scene during the stunt.

[ramzey]

She was working in health care, right?

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Mickey1992
Not if they know or should know the risks.  Like I said, how many in the general public know about water intoxication?  When they signed the waiver did it mention the risks?  Chances are it was just a regular cover-our-arse waiver.  I have not found any indication that there was medical personnel on the scene during the stunt.

I know what water intoxication is.

I also know what Psuedo Faliculitus Barbai is as well.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Mickey1992
Not if they know or should know the risks.  Like I said, how many in the general public know about water intoxication?  When they signed the waiver did it mention the risks?  Chances are it was just a regular cover-our-arse waiver.  I have not found any indication that there was medical personnel on the scene during the stunt.

Only a MORON would do something as stupid as she did.   Regardless of the "prize", she chose Greed over her family.   Funnier yet, she worked in Health Care.   The Radio Station didn't hold a gun to her head.   She made a "choice", and she paid the "price".  

Darwin +3

[Reschke]

Dumb mom is what that is. For $250+tax you can get one at any electronics store or Wal-Mart or hell even buy it online from somewhere and pay the shipping charges.

I gotta say that she is the early leader in the '07 Darwin Awards contest.

[Fishu]

A little bit of salt could have saved her life, it would have prevented the cells from absording too much water.

[Chairboy]

Someone on Slashdot talked about suing the radio station 'into the poorhouse'.  I responded with the following:

"I hope they sue this radio station and the individuals involved into the poorhouse..."

I'd like to weigh in quickly regarding this part of your post. It seems to reflect the widespread consensus that personal responsibility in our nation is happily being handed off to anyone but ourselves. At what point does the individual assume some blame for something going wrong? We read this week about someone in Germany swerving their car off a highway onto a trolley track because his GPS said 'Turn left'. He just blindly did it, should the GPS company be sued? Or should the driver have maybe exercised some better judgment in blindly following the instruction?

If a radio station held a 'Let's play Russian Roulette' contest for a prize, should the family of the person who shoots themselves be able to sue?

Our civil courts have a purpose, and they serve that purpose daily. But our society seems hellbent on using the same system to try and get "the payout", a claim paid by an insurance company or by the liquidation of assets of a company that did some perceived slight. The american dream shouldn't be 'Succesfully sue someone' and make mad-kash.

What have we become?

It was modded up once, then modded down 4x so that it's at -1.  Apparently personal responsibility isn't a top concern for the folks who were mods today.

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=216996&cid=17617998