Woman dies in Wii contest

Deadly Wii contest results in firing of 10 radio employees | TG Daily (http://www.tgdaily.com/2007/01/17/deadly_wii_contest/)

She died from water intoxication in a contest for a Wii

didnt know it was possible to die by drinking too much water. very strange. and drinking nearly 2 gallons of water isnt THAT much, i wonder how fast it was taken though

The story I read earlier didn't say if she won or not. I guess either way she lost in the end.

I've heard of it being an issue with athletes drinking too much water too quickly when they are dehydrated.

Water intoxication - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication)

she was of free will to enter the contest, but im sure a lawsuit will follow

I think there was a hazing incident a few years ago involving water intoxication too.

I've heard of it being an issue with athletes drinking too much water too quickly when they are dehydrated.

Water intoxication - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication)

You also hear the obligatory news stories on it every year when some kid trying to join a frat dies due to it being one of the initiation duties.

Such as...
CHICO / Fraternity pledge died of water poisoning / Forced drinking can disastrously dilute blood's salt content (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/04/BAGNSB576121.DTL)

didnt know it was possible to die by drinking too much water. very strange. and drinking nearly 2 gallons of water isnt THAT much, i wonder how fast it was taken though

It actually happens a lot. What happens is that your cells basically drown because they can't absorb all of the water. When you drown in the ocean (or your bathtub), you're not dead because you were IN the water, you die because too much water is in YOU.

It was stupid to enter a contest like that, especially with kids...but it was equally stupid to host the thing.

No one on either side did any thinking in this situation.

No one on either side did any thinking in this situation.

Any guesses on how many times this was said at the end of an an unfortunate accident?

They have been discussing this on the radio where I live. They said that a lawsuit will follow, and they were debating whether the lawsuit will be successful. The radio station which hosted the event had the participants sign waivers. However, I don't think that will matter much, since it doesn't appear as though they informed the participants the contest could be fatal.

It is a tragic story. Especially since she was trying to win the game for her kids. Sad.