As soon as Tim took a sip from her daughter's cup, he felt a burning sensation in his mouth. Something was amiss.
He took out his cellphone and called the authorities. How could they do this to an innocent child?
One Sunday Evening
One Sunday evening, the Smith family decided to grab dinner at a local restaurant.
They had no idea that they would soon be spending the rest of the day in the hospital.
Apple Juice
Before the couple had the chance to ask for the bill, they noticed that their 18-month-old was behaving weirdly.
She loved apple juice, so as soon as the family arrived, the Smiths ordered a bottle of apple juice for her. Little did they know how much they were going to regret this decision.
Something Was Wrong
At first, "everything was normal," Alexis explained.
But then, Aaliyah's eyes began to blur, and she couldn't explain what was going on with her. They knew something was amiss when Aaliyah stumbled out of her chair.
It Wasn't Apple Juice
“We were about to leave, my spouse got the juice, it was in the kid’s cup, he tasted it, and his chest started burning,” Alexis explained.
She also took a sip of her daughter's drink, and it definitely wasn't apple juice.
They Were Shocked
It suddenly became clear to the couple what their daughter had been served.
Alexis called for the manager while Tim contacted the police. They couldn't believe this was happening to them.
It Was Alcohol
As the manager approached the angry couple, Alexis made him smell the juice.
He agreed that the liquid inside their daughter's cup was not apple juice, but he didn't know this could've happened. It turned out that the staff accidentally served their daughter alcohol.
They Were Livid
As you can imagine, Alexis and Tim were livid. The manager tried to fix the situation by offering to pay for their meal, but it was too late.
The damage had already been done. Aaliyah was getting more and more ill, and they needed to get her to the hospital.
Alexis Was Devastated
It turns out that the container marked as "apple juice" had been mislabeled. Tim and Alexis's daughter was not even two years old, and she consumed alcohol.
“I started crying at the restaurant,” Alexis said. “As a mom, it was very emotional. Alcohol is something serious. You have to be 21 as an adult to drink it.” But would their daughter be okay?
She Wasn't Feeling Well
By the time the paramedics arrived. Aaliyah was "a little off-balance," Alexis recalled.
They had to wait two hours at the hospital to get examined. The doctor confirmed that she had consumed three teaspoons of liquor.
She Made Full Recovery
Fortunately, the little girl made a full recovery. Alexis and Tim warn other parents to always check their children's drinks.
Alexis also said the restaurant staff offered to put the "juice" in her daughter's sippy cup before realizing it was alcohol.
She Could've Died
“She would have been sipping on alcohol all day and possibly passed away,” Alexis said,
“I’m just lucky that my daughter did not consume the whole cup because she probably would not be here now.”
This Isn't The First Time
But this isn't the first time something like this has happened at a restaurant.
In 2011, a 15-month-old boy was mistakenly served alcohol at Applebee's.
Not Normal
He was served margarita instead of juice. “He was saying ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ to the walls,” his mother recalls.
“He laid his head down like he was sleepy, then woke up and got really hyper.” The doctors found his blood-alcohol level to be at 0.10.
He Almost Died
“They said if he had drank that whole cup, he would have passed away,” his mother explained.
Thankfully, this boy, too, made a full recovery.