I'm astounded that people do not know that too much water can kill a person stone dead. Water has been used from time immemorial as a weapon of torture.
(Some people think "water torture" involves a drip-drip-drip of water on the forehead. It may well, but more commonly it involves physical restraints, a funnel, and a very large bucket that is refilled regularly. A painful death is a regular result.)
Thought thru carefully: the internal organs like the stomach, small intestines, large intestines, kidneys and bladder have a finite capacity beyond which they will not stretch. Water will not compress beyond its volumetric capacity: it must be evacuated at least as fast as it is ingested. There is a finite speed that this can happen at.
It takes no genius to figure out that such a system can be overloaded.
The morons who put on this contest are culpable and should definitely be held to account.
They were fired, but should the station have to pay millions? Were they criminally negligent?
This wasn't water torture, they gave the contestants water, and the contestants freely drank it.
If it is true that a nurse called the station privately, and told them the risks, and they didn't stop, that does change things considerably for me -- once you know the risks, you ARE culpable, although I guess they would argue they didn't believe the person was a nurse or knew what they were talking about.
If I believed for a second that any of the people involved KNEW this was dangerous and did it anyway, I would want them thrown in jail. But at the moment, if it is true that nobody at the station had any idea of the danger, I don't think a lawsuit is in order for an action that was not known to be dangerous. It seems nobody at the station had any idea drinking water could be harmful, and neither did ANY of the contestants.
I guess I just don't get the rush to blaming. There are food-eating contests sponsored all over the world, with people eating enough that it would seem to be able to kill the average person. I would guess that they have medical personnel at those contests in case a person needs medical attention on the spot, but do those medical people follow the contestants home? Do the medical people not simply say at the start that the contest is stupid and risky?
What if they had brought in a doctor and the doctor said that and the people still took part. The woman was not sick until she got home, would the station still be culpable?
OK, I've made my point, or at least argued it as best I can. I guess they wouldn't want ME on the jury.
Water intoxication actually occurs well before you can overfill the system as you suggest.
Rest of post per Wikipedia:
Body fluids contain electrolytes (particularly sodium compounds, such as sodium chloride) in concentrations that must be held within very narrow limits. If water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed, body fluids are diluted and eventually a dangerous shift in electrolyte balance occurs.
Sodium is not the only mineral that can become overdiluted from excessive water intake. Magnesium deficiency can cause metabolic changes that may contribute to heart attacks and strokes.
Consuming as little as 1.8 litres of water (0.48 gal) in a single sitting may prove fatal for a person adhering to a low-sodium diet, or 3 litres (0.79 gallons) for a person on a normal diet.