The restaurant apologised and did not charge the family for the meal. (Representative Pic)
A 12-year-old boy in the United States was rushed to a hospital after he was mistakenly served an alcoholic beverage at a restaurant in Michigan. According to Fox Business, the incident occurred at an Outback Steakhouse in Livonia, Michigan earlier this month. The boy, Mekyle Cureton, was with his family when he ordered his usual virgin daiquiri for his beverage. However, after taking a few sips, he said that his drink "didn't taste normal" and that his heart started beating as he was drinking it.
Turns out, there had been a mix-up and the beverage contained rum. After a few big gulps of the drink, the 12-year-old started feeling the effects. "My head started hurting when I was leaving, and my heart started beating as I was drinking it," he told the outlet.
The boy's grandmother tasted the drink to try to determine if it contained alcohol, but she could not tell. Since no one in the family drinks alcohol, they flagged down their server and the bartender confirmed the mistake. According to the family, their meal receipt also showed an order for a regular daiquiri, rather than a "virgin" drink.
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Following the incident, the restaurant apologised and did not charge the family for the meal. The boy, on the other hand, ended up in the hospital. He was diagnosed with accidental exposure to alcohol and accidental ingestion, according to the report. He was given Tylenol and told to rest, per the outlet. The next day, he had his first hangover.
"We take this situation very seriously and are thankful that the child involved was not seriously harmed," the restaurant told the outlet.
"We have taken the appropriate disciplinary action, and all our bartenders and staff have been retrained to ensure this does not happen again," the spokesperson added.