A spokesperson from a Texas Roadhouse in North Carolina said it was an “honest mistake” when 2-year-old Gabriela Gilliam (pictured during another visit) was served alcoholic sangria rather than the cranberry juice that was ordered. Still, her parents are struggling to understand how it happened.
Derek and Tiffany Gilliam told Asheville’s News 13 they were at the family restaurant on Friday night to celebrate Derek’s birthday. When they were served their drinks (which were supposed to be non-alcoholic all around), little Gabriela said what was in her kids’ cup “tasty funny,” but she continued to drink it. Soon after, she started acting different.
“She was staggering and she was kissing everything,” Tiffany said, explaining she and her husband then sampled the drink and were horrified to detect alcohol. They immediately took Gabriela to the hospital where she was diagnosed with accidental alcohol ingestion.
The Texas Roadhouse comped the family’s meals and sent an employee to the hospital to comfort the family — although it doesn’t sound like that did much good.
“I had to rub her belly the whole night and she slept with us because I was scared that she might not wake up, that she’d choke on her throw up and not wake up,” Tiffany said, explaining Gabriela continued to throw up for two days. “It was the most horrible feeling ever… It was very scary. I mean me, my mom, his mom, we were all in tears. I don’t want that to ever happen to anybody else’s child.”
