Turning the legal drinking age should be a night for celebration, right? There’s a good chance you will end the night with your head in the toilet, but that’s nothing compared to what Gaby Scanlon from the UK went through.
While out with friends for her 18th birthday in October 2012, Gaby Scanlon was given the Nitro-Jägermeister drink at Oscar’s Wine Bar and Bistro. She drank the liquid nitrogen cocktail while it was smoking, and immediately knew something was wrong. She recently told a court,
I turned to the [bar]man and asked if it was OK to drink. He said “yes.” Smoke was coming from my nose and mouth. Straight away I knew something was not right. My stomach expanded. The manager said nothing about waiting for it to die down.
The court heard that Scanlon was taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary, where a scan showed a large perforation in her stomach. The teen underwent surgery to remove her stomach and connect her oesophagus to her small bowel and had to spend three weeks in hospital. Scanlon continues to have issues, suffering from terrible pain and having trouble eating.
Oscar’s Wine Bar Ltd pleaded guilty to one count of failing in the duty of an employer to ensure the safety of persons not in its employment. The company admitted it had failed to ensure the drink was safe for consumption and have been fined £100,000.
All that trouble for a £3.95 drink.
*This is a stock image of a liquid nitrogen cocktail.
[Story via BBC]
