A family visit to a California restaurant ended with a trip to the emergency room when their child was mistakenly served mulled wine by the staff.
According to local outlet KSBW 8, Noemi Valencia and her partner were with their 2-year-old daughter at Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant in Salinas on August 17 when they noticed the child showing signs of intoxication.
“She was swaying, she was falling, she was leaning against the walls, she couldn’t hold her head up, she was slurring her words,” Valencia explained of her daughter, which immediately raised concerns.
A picture of an ambulance.
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The parents investigated their child’s cup and discovered that the drink she was given, which was said to be apple juice, was actually cooking wine. Restaurant staff told the couple that the staff had mislabeled the alcoholic drink as apple juice, according to the publication.
The worried parents rushed their child to the emergency room in Salinas Valley, where they spent the night. A blood test revealed the child had a blood alcohol level of 0.12, twice the legal limit for a consenting adult.
“We have no comment at this time,” restaurant staff tell PEOPLE. “We just want to wait for the results from the police department.”
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A picture of a small child drinking from a glass.
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The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control told PEOPLE in a statement that they are aware of the situation and that an investigation is currently underway, although no charges have been filed as of this writing.
The Salinas Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The child has since sobered up and recovered, but Valencia urges other parents to be more careful about what their children are served in restaurants.
“Take proper precautions and how you store things or label things properly so this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” she said as a message to restaurant owners, according to KSBW 8, adding, “Parents: taste what’s served to your kids.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education