http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Wee-For-Wii-Water-Drinking-Contest-Death-Jennifer-Stranges-Family-Awarded-16m/Article/200910415424464?f=rss

That's quite a payout

There should be no reward/payout for natural stupidity

To go into in blindly thinking that drinking excessive amounts of water and not peeing is a safe thing to do is a little short sighted by both parties.

Like most people, I'm sure, I had no idea you could poison yourself by drinking too much water. Water is good for you, isn't it?

(Actually, I did know that excess water intake can be bad, but I certainly didn't know it could be fatal.)

So, in this case, what appeared to be an innocuous game hadn't been thought through properly by the organisers. I doubt they realised excess water intake was dangerous either. As a participant in such games, the players would expect the organisers to make the risk assessment, wouldn't they?

Like most people, I'm sure, I had no idea you could poison yourself by drinking too much water. Water is good for you, isn't it?

Huh? The radio station are clearly guilty, they should have researched this and made sure it was safe before inviting people to participate. I don't think people can be blamed for having a reasonable expectation for 'competitions' to be safe to participate in (in so far as is reasonable).

So a radio station is guilty for someone not giving up when they should?
That is like saying supermarkets and motor companies should be responsible for all drink-driving accidents.

It's showing a lack of self-responsibility and unless they are mentally impared is a fair judgement to assume people will quit when they can't go on any more

Let's be clear here, the radio station organised the contest. Supermarkets do not arrange piss-ups.

If at any stage they thought it was getting dangerous they should have stepped in, but as it stands they were woefully unaware of the dangers and were at best irresponsible, at worst criminally negligent in their duty of care to participants.