Toddler Rushed To Hospital After Being Served Alcohol at Restaurant

A toddler was rushed to the hospital after being served wine instead of apple juice at a California restaurant.

At a Glance

A California restaurant mistakenly served a toddler wine instead of apple juice.
The incident occurred at Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant in Salinas.
The toddler exhibited symptoms of intoxication, including slurred words and swaying.
The parents discovered the mistake after inspecting the liquid in the cup.

Restaurant Mix-Up Leads to Toddler’s Hospitalization

A horrifying incident unfolded at the Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant in Salinas, California, where a toddler was mistakenly served wine instead of apple juice. The child’s mother, Noemi Valencia, recounted how her daughter started to show severe symptoms of intoxication. The little girl swayed, fell over, leaned on walls, and slurred her words, prompting immediate parental concern.

Upon closer inspection and smell of the liquid in their daughter’s cup, the parents realized it was wine. They rushed her to the emergency room, where medical professionals determined she had a blood alcohol level of 0.12—nearly twice the legal limit for adults to drive. The toddler spent the night in the hospital but is now reportedly doing well.

Toddler served wine instead of apple juice at California restaurant — landing her in emergency room with .12 BAC https://t.co/wwsSxtPIDk pic.twitter.com/IamQGPzeJ2

— New York Post (@nypost) August 21, 2024

How the Incident Occurred

The root cause of this extreme mix-up was a container mislabeled as “apple juice” when it contained house-made cooking wine instead. During the dinner, the server accidentally poured the wine into the child’s juice cup. The restaurant manager has since admitted the mistake and is working with authorities to prevent future occurrences.

The Salinas police filed a report and, along with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, are investigating the incident. This investigation aims to ensure all necessary measures are implemented to avert similar mistakes in the future.

Parents Warn and Advise Precautions

This event has left the mother urging others to be cautious. Noemi Valencia recommended parents taste what their children are served to avoid such nightmares. The family hopes their frightening experience serves as a cautionary tale for both other parents and restaurant management to ensure improved food safety and labeling practices.

Valencia, when speaking of the restaurant’s mistake, also said, “Take proper precautions and how you store things or label things properly so that this doesn’t happen to anybody else.”

The incident reinforces the essential need for meticulous labeling and storage standards in food establishments. Proper procedures and parental vigilance could help prevent these dangerous, albeit accidental, situations from occurring.

Ongoing Investigations

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is now keenly aware of the incident, stating they are working closely with local authorities to investigate thoroughly. They aim to scrutinize the restaurant’s operations to ensure that such an oversight does not recur. The parent’s quick action and the restaurant’s cooperation are pivotal in driving these investigations to a swift conclusion.

The family’s terrifying experience is a grim reminder of how vital proper precautions in food handling and serving are. As the mother emphasizes in her appeal, it is not only the responsibility of restaurants but also a call for parents to always ensure the safety of what their children consume.