California Court Awards $16 Million in Damages for Fatal Wii Prank

Posted by Dan on October 30, 2009

Thanks to Kotaku for the heads up. The Sacramento County Superior Court just awarded $16 million in damages to the family of Jennifer Strange, who died from “water intoxication” (presumably complicated by hyponatremia). Strange died back in 2007 after a radio contest from KDND-FM in which she had to chug bottles of water in order to win a Nintendo Wii. The jury found that the radio station negligently ignored warnings, including during the contest, that there could be potentially fatal contests. From the radio station’s response, it sounds like they’re not going to appeal the verdict.

“Jennifer Strange’s death was a tragedy. Our hearts go out to all of her loved ones, including, in particular, her husband and children. While legal restrictions preclude us from commenting further on the verdict, we respect the jury’s decision and hope that it will assist the Strange family in coping with its loss.”

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