Toddler gets alcohol at Applebees

[Rico]

Of course, it had to happen in the Detroit area.   :ohwell

A 15-month-old was hospitalized after a behind-the-bar mix-up at a Michigan Applebee's restaurant that left the toddler sipping alcohol instead of apple juice.

Police were called to the Madison Heights restaurant on Friday evening after the parents of Dominic Wilson Jr. noticed their son acting strange during a family dinner.

"He was saying 'hi' and 'bye' to the walls," said Wilson's mother, Taylor Dill-Reese, 18. "He laid his head down like he was sleepy, then woke up and got really hyper."  At first, Dill-Reese blamed his odd behavior on lack of sleep. But at the end of the meal, she said Wilson's father was stunned by what he tasted after taking a sip of his son's juice.

The juice was an alcoholic concoction that was stored in a mislabeled container, according to a Madison Heights Police Department news release.

"The container was apple juice but it had margarita mix in it," Dill-Reese said.

Wilson was immediately rushed to the hospital, where his blood alcohol content was measured at 0.10, Dill-Reese said.

"They said if he had drank that whole cup he would have died," she said, adding that she and her family will never return to the eatery.

"It was unreal," she said. "You don't expect to go to a family restaurant, and your 15-month-old gets served alcohol."

Dill-Reese said the child is doing OK but they are taking him to see a doctor because he's "not eating like he used to."

Dill-Reese said she and her boyfriend -- both of whom are under 21 and not legally allowed to drink -- were both drinking smoothies during the meal.

"Obviously any situation like this is unacceptable," Applebee's officials said in a statement. "We are working with local authorities and conducting our own investigation to assess exactly what happened."

Police have deemed the incident an accident.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-11/us/michigan.toddler.alcohol_1_apple-juice-toddler-restaurant?_s=PM:US

[ElfManDan]

How does a mistake like that happen I wonder.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Went to eat at a Applebee's on our way to Disneyland....

King

[X]

How does a mistake like that happen I wonder.

Pretty easily. Someone puts something in the wrong bottle. Someone else pours the apple juice thinking it's apple juice and not doing a sniff or taste test because it's a business and customers frown on that.

[turtlesrock]

interesting story. it gets you wondering how many other mishaps like that there are that don't get reported.

[billybob476]

Yeah on the surface this seems awful but I could see how this can easily happen.

[Bryancd]

Well, all I can say is that my Mom, although not a real hippie in the late '60's certainly was around enough that I have no doubt I had a few contact highs as a baby. Obviously giving a baby booze is not a great idea, but it's also not the end of the world or a long term problem for the baby. I used to eat dirt, play in the mud, get all sorts of banged up and lived. Sometimes I think parents have become insane with how protective they are, this story not withstanding.

[ElfManDan]

How does a mistake like that happen I wonder.

Pretty easily. Someone puts something in the wrong bottle. Someone else pours the apple juice thinking it's apple juice and not doing a sniff or taste test because it's a business and customers frown on that.

I suppose, but it's just like shouldn't there be things preventing mistakes like that. I don't eat out much, I've maybe eaten at Applebees 3 times total in my life so maybe I just don't know. But seems like they should have a system in place that prevents this.

[Dangelus]

Oh poor baby!

It's could have been a lot worse but speaking as a parent I can imagine they thought their child may have been delirious with some sort of illness and would have been very distressed.

[billybob476]

How does a mistake like that happen I wonder.

Pretty easily. Someone puts something in the wrong bottle. Someone else pours the apple juice thinking it's apple juice and not doing a sniff or taste test because it's a business and customers frown on that.

I suppose, but it's just like shouldn't there be things preventing mistakes like that. I don't eat out much, I've maybe eaten at Applebees 3 times total in my life so maybe I just don't know. But seems like they should have a system in place that prevents this.

Oh they do, andthis has little to do with it being Applebee's, I've gotten the wrong thing brought to me on many occasions!

[Bromptonboy]

Time for them to 'Lawyer Up' - I am sure.

[Rico]

I've never liked Applebees.  But if you can get booze for the cost of apple juice maybe I should rethink things.  ;)

[Bryancd]

I've never liked Applebees.  But if you can get booze for the cost of apple juice maybe I should rethink things.  ;)

Applebees is a poor mans Outback. :)

[X]

I've never liked Applebees.  But if you can get booze for the cost of apple juice maybe I should rethink things.  ;)

Applebees is a poor mans Outback. :)

pretty much. they use a lower grade of meats to meet the low costs.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I've never liked Applebees.  But if you can get booze for the cost of apple juice maybe I should rethink things.  ;)

Applebees is a poor mans Outback. :)

pretty much. they use a lower grade of meats to meet the low costs.

That explains a lot...

King