Family allegedly poisoned with insect repellent by restaurant that served them chemicals instead of juice
Authorities are investigating after a family was rushed to hospital when a restaurant allegedly served their daughters insect repellent instead of cranberry juice.
The family were dining at Miky’s Italian Restaurant in the Perth suburb of Nedlands on Friday night when their daughters, aged 11 and 12, ordered cranberry juice.
Mum Michele Lemin said her daughters gulped the drink down and then both spat it out, saying it was poisoned.
“I said don’t be silly and took the glass and I went to gulp it down and then spat it out,” she said.
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“I was spitting it out yelling, ‘It’s chemicals’,” she said.
She said her husband smelled the glass and demanded that restaurant staff show him the bottle.
Ms Lemin said staff refused to show her husband the bottle, telling him it was cranberry juice, while another waiter kept saying everything would be OK.
“My husband called out ‘no, it’s not OK’,” she said.
Eventually a waiter handed the bottle over to her husband when they realised the horrifying mistake that had occurred.
Ms Lemin’s two daughters were rushed to the Perth Children’s Hospital, while she was taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
“My daughters’ stomachs were burning, their fingers and hands were tingling,” she said.
“They had a headache … it was awful.
“I really did not feel well, my stomach was burning and I had a headache.”
Her 11-year old daughter Olivia said she was scared that she was going to die.
“It felt like somebody had poured fire on your stomach and it felt like you had pins and needles in your arms and legs,” Olivia said.
The family were monitored in hospital for about six hours before they were able to return home.
Father Marcus Lemin said chemicals shouldn’t be allowed in an area of the restaurant where these sorts of mistakes could happen.
“It is pretty simple,” he said.
A Miky’s Italian Restaurant spokesman told 9News it was very concerning and the incident was under investigation.
The City of Perth and WA Health are now investigating the incident.