Calif. jury awards $16M in radio contestant death

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A Sacramento County jury has awarded $16.5 million to the family of a 28-year-old woman who died after participating in a radio station's water-drinking contest.

Jennifer Strange, a mother of three, died of acute water intoxication in January 2007 after the challenge to see which contestant could drink the most water without going to the bathroom. A Nintendo Wii video game system was the prize for winning the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest.

On Thursday, jurors found Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications Corp. and its Sacramento subsidiary liable for the actions of its employees at Sacramento radio station KDND-FM. The station fired 10 employees after the death.

During the trial, Entercom argued that Strange should have known the contest could be dangerous.