$16.5 Million Wrongful Death Verdict in Sacramento Radio Station Contest
As reported in a CBS news story, one of the participants in station KDND’s contest, entitled “Hold your Wee for a WII,” Jennifer Strange, died from water intoxication after drinking massive amounts of water, but not urinating, in order to win an endurance contest. Water intoxication is a little-known condition, often affecting runners who go overboard in their efforts to drink enough water in a marathon.
Tragic Victim in the Wrongful Death Suit Was a Mother
In the KDND case, the victim was a mother of three children, and was trying to win a WII for her kids. The verdict is especially large for case where the victim was not someone who pulls down a large income. A big part of the money recovered in many wrongful death cases is for anticipated future earnings of the person who died. So, in casese that do not have punitive damages, it’s not common to see such a large verdict for someone without high earnings.
Wrongful Death Verdicts and Settlements Rise in the San Francisco Bay Area
Wrongful Death verdicts and settlements in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the state of California have gone up a lot in recent years. Why are awards up so much for wrongful death cases? I’d like to think it’s because juries are placing a higher value on the loss of human life. But I never understood how wrongful death verdicts could be so low in the past, and, of course, some still are. It’s hard for a family to accept it when a jury finds that their loved one’s death was caused by another person or a company, but then values their loss at a low amount.
What I think is driving up verdicts in some cases is the sense of outrage at the conduct that caused the death. In the Sacramento California case, it’s easy to see how a jury could be appalled at the radio station for conducting such a contest. Also, when the jury knows that a big corporation is behind a someone getting sued can often relieve any juror’s worries about bankrupting a person or small business.
Talk to a Wrongful Death Attorney in the Bay Area
The wrongful death attorneys of Callaway & Wolf have been handling cases in San Francisco and around the Bay Area for decades. Click now to request a free consultation to talk about your case.
Boone Callaway is a personal injury & medical malpractice lawyer in San Francisco who has been working with clients in the Bay Area for over 25 years. Mr. Callaway is one of only a few personal injury litigators in San Francisco who is a Super Lawyer, AV Rated and is also a member of ABOTA – American Board of Trial Advocates.
