UK & World News
- 28 October 2012, 1:58
Nitrogen Cocktail Teenager Considers Suing
A teenager who had her stomach removed after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen has said it has ruined her life.
Gaby Scanlon had been celebrating her 18th birthday with friends at Oscars wine bar in Lancaster on October 4 when she drank two shots of Jagermeister mixed with a small amount of liquid nitrogen.
She immediately experienced severe stomach pain and was rushed by friends to Lancaster Royal Infirmary where doctors discovered her stomach lining had perforated.
The damage was so bad surgeons removed her stomach and connected her oesophagus directly to her small bowel.
Ms Scanlon, of Heysham, Lancashire, explained that everything was fine after the first drink but the moment she drank the second she felt "excruciating pain".
"I'd been warned by the barman the drink might make me a bit gassy, so I didn't think too much of it, but then my stomach started to expand and I felt sick," she told the Daily Mail.
Ms Scanlon spent three weeks in hospital and is now severely limited in what she can eat.
She faces a life on vitamin supplements and liquid meals. Without a stomach she has been told she will never experience hunger again - or the pleasure of satisfying it.
An investigation is being conducted by Lancashire Police, who said: "The investigation is still in its early stages and we are still interviewing witnesses to establish the full facts.
"The premises involved have fully co-operated and have suspended drinks involving liquid nitrogen."
Oscars Wine Bar said in a statement: "This unfortunate incident is part of an ongoing police investigation and as such we cannot make any comments other than to say that we are tremendously concerned for the person involved and our heartfelt best wishes go to them and their family at this distressing time."
Ms Scanlon is considering legal action against Oscars. She said: "I feel angry these theatrical cocktails seem to be aimed at younger people, especially 18-year-olds who are just legally able to drink and want to go out and try these things, but it's not worth it."
"I try to stay strong. I'm an optimistic person. It could have been very much worse and I'm very grateful to be alive, but it should never have happened in the first place."
Update:
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what do you think?
Dave Harrison
This drink was sold legally in this bar so they have some responsibility for ensuring that a product they sold is safe and fit for purpose. However this does not excuse the girls stupidity in drinking liquid nitrogen. Pity she didn't stay awake during physics & chemistry at school. The experience hasn't affected her sense of smell though. She can still smell money
Diane Rogers
I agree why on earth would anybody want to drink that whats wrong with good old lager and lime
Andrea Hill
Here we go suing suing, she knew what she was doing stupid girl.
Diane Rogers
Well said Andrea.nobody forced her ro drink it
Juliecrumpton1234
I suppose people assume if it is being sold in licenced premises, it must have been deemed to be safe? I've never heard of this drink, must be honest...
Chris Price
Julie Jagermeister is an austrian drink that tastes like benylin usually served chilled as a shot. That was championed by the heavy metal community untill about 10yrs ago then everyone hijacked it and started drinking it with redbull and liquid nitrogen. Personally if its not chilled its vile. When mixed with red bull its vile. Mix it with vs blue and it tastes better but sends you blind.mix it with slush puppy and its awesome
Juliecrumpton1234
Thanks for info, chris! :-)
Dave Harrison
Chris. Cheers pal. You have educated me as well. ps What is it like with Speckled Hen??
Chris Price
I can imagine it would spoil the hen dave. Tried mixing it with loads of different things over the years like lucozade sport and capri sun. But it wasnt untill i went to the hammerfest music festival a few years ago and they had jager cooler machines behind the bar next to the slushie machines,did some quick maths and it got messy the next thing i know practically everyone there was drinking it.
Jenny Caine
All well and good saying dont drink liquid nitrogen but have you forgotten from chemistry yourself that ethonal (alcohol) is poisonous? Amd lethal in too high of a dosage. Its like saying dont drink you'll die!
Louisa Gieldon
Dave c'mon mate, maybe she didn't like chemistry but that neither makes her stupid nor deserving of having her stomach removed at 18! Your remarks are pretty cruel and the implication that's she's now chasing money for the sake of it is undeserving of you. Maybe if she sues it's because she thinks that what happened to her is wrong and shouldn't happen to anyone else. She's just a few months older than my youngest and doesn't deserve the comments that have been left here about her
Dave Harrison
Loiusa. I have every sympathy for the situation this girl find herself in and agree that the bar do have a responsibility to ensure that what they sell is safe & fit for purpose. My gripe is that the first thing anyone ever thinks about is compensation.. JS fiddles with me - compo, I trip in the street- compo. I get knocked over while jaywalking- compo. None ever stops to think did I contribute in any way to what happened to me
Louisa Gieldon
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
Lorgar Aurelian
No sympathy for idiots. All well and good saying "she's only 18!" but you can drive when you're 17. Like previously said, she should have paid more attention to science lessons...
Juliecrumpton1234
It was bought in good faith...do you really think she would drink it if she thought for one moment it could damage her for life? She didn't neck it up a dark alley!
Dave Harrison
Julie. We hear so much these days about the damage excessive drinking does to your liver but it still dosen't stop hundreds of thousands of people getting completely wasted every weekend
Juliecrumpton1234
Dave, I agree, binge drinking is the norm, but I can't help thinking that this stuff should have had tests, etc, approved and passed, if not, why not? I for one, had never even heard of this stuff! My science was cr.p at my sec mod school, lol! For these very reasens, shouldn't guidelines have been followed? I reall feel for her, poor girl
Dave Harrison
Julie. Perhaps guidlines were followed we don't know. I can't imagine that this drink hasn't been tested and licenced by the powers that be. I do have a great deal of sympathy for the kid whose life has changed thru a moments thoughtlessness but then life is full of if onlys
ali baba
how can you lot blame this girl this is not a third world country when i go into a shop in the UK i presume there is enough health and safety in what i buy i hope she gets a big pay out, and i hope the capitalist who branded liquid nitrogen as a drink gets what he deserves
Dave Harrison
Ali. Why is it always someone elses fault? Why does no one accept responsibility for their actions or stupidity ? It is just this attitude which has produced the rampant compensation culture we have today. As if money made things better.
Chris Price
The bar should pay a fine to the hse for unsafe pra tice and that is it because i bet the bar man didnt have the correct ppe for handling cryogenic chemicals. That a side if you go to the shop and buy say a box of fire works and decide your going to open them up to get at the blackpowder inside while smoking. And a stray ember ignites the thing and it takes your hand off.Who is to blame? The manufacturer? No because they have followed their standards and working practices. The shop? No they also have to follow procedures. The answer is you because you decided to challenge charles darwin and went 1-0 down
Diane Rogers
Dave.well said never their fault
Kerry Carline
Totally agree with u ali baba.she was told it could make her gassy not that it could possibly kill her.she was given wrong info and based her decision to drink it on that info.more education is needed or a ban on this kind of drink alltogether.
Andrea Hill
She knew what it was, come on.
Juliecrumpton1234
Ali....agree
Chris Price
Firstly Jager should be served chilled not at -196. Store it in the freezer and not on the optic rack like all bars and clubs seem to think is acceptable. Then you wouldnt need to use nitrogen. And secondly the drinks companies are telling people to drink responsibly. The silly girl obviously didnt take notice of this. She also couldnt of paid any attention in science, probably too busy talking about who won xfactory and big brother like most kids do these days. This is what happens when you watch too much TOWIE!!! Im sorry but in an ideal world she wouldnt get a penny from the bar in question. She decided to buy the drink and therefore sealed her own fate.
krafty81
Didn't mean to thumb down you. Stupid phone!
Chris Price
I know the feeling. Ive done it plenty of times. So i guess its karma
paulnaylor
your an idiot , maybe you come to my bar and i give you a shot of arsenic.....see if you change your mind on making a clame then....o dear you wouldnt be able to, because you would be dead.......i know lets just make it legal for retailers to sell whatever they like.......foolish person you are
Adrian Wagstaff
I don't think it's her fault if she didn't know the dangers of liquid nitrogen. The people selling it should do. She deserves millions of pounds and all such premises to stop selling that drink immediately. It shouldn't have ever happened in the first place. How much is one life worth? If the idiots had any idea what they'd done, nobody would be selling the drinks still.
Dave Harrison
Adrian. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that to turn a gas into a liquid it needs to be super cold. She is the only one ultimately responsible for what she puts into her body
Adrian Wagstaff
James Bond does NOT bother reading instructions. His stories are FICTISCIOUS. In real life people should observe instructions. Is everybody expected to know everything? Most people do not use liquid nitrogen during their daily lives. I don't know what Gaby Scanlon was studying. Most dangerous substances have clear warning labels, as someone stated in the first comment and in Braille. All sellers of anything have a duty to make certain the purchaser is in no untoward danger from their purchase.
Dave Harrison
Adrian. No I don't think everybody should know everything but you should make damned sure you know what something is before you ingest it
Juliecrumpton1234
Dave, I confess.....I know nothing at all scientific!
Dave Harrison
Julie. Me neither but a bit of common sense goes a long way. Would you drink from an unlabelled bottle found in a cupboard or a garage? I certainly wouldn't although the girl in this case could reasonably believe the drink was safe given that it was legally on sale
Juliecrumpton1234
This is what my point is dave, she purchased it in good faith, where did the bar obtain it from?
Juliecrumpton1234
Ok...just chucking out these questions, see what happens,...would this liquid nitrogen have been passed by a food agency!(not sure if that's the right title) if it had, would if then had to be declared fit for human consumption? Therefore, if the nightclub bought it in good faith, and sold it, does this mean the bar is not guilty for this young girls plight? She also drank this stuff, assuming that it wouldn't hurt her, she suffers serious health issues, not her fault, so who ultimately is to blame? If the buck stops with whoever passed this stuff off as safe, then yes, sue, or would this stuff never have been approved in the first place?
Kerry Carline
Big thumbs up julie.why are so many people pointing the finger at a lot of victims of items in the news recently.makes me wander about the mindset and morals of some people.
Juliecrumpton1234
Oh I'm well used to certain " mind sets" Kerry, lol! Stick to your guns, girl, is all I will say! ;-) you are right, tho, the actual victims come waay down on a lot of people's list, in my opinion, this girl deserves compensation, if she had swigged it up a dark alley, then no, her fault, but she didn't, she purchased it in a licenced premises, sold to her I'm presuming here, by someone who bought it in good faith? Was it an approved food stuff? The girl is not to blame, poor love, she will never be able to eat properly again, then you get people saying " serve her right!" ....unbelievable!
Lorgar Aurelian
Because these days everyone is a victim it seems.
ali baba
Shocking ladies the lack of empathy you see on these boards. So arrogant some people on here. Cause I know for sure when you young you kinda up for most things. That's the beauty of being young. Someone is to blame and it ain't for sure this poor girl who lost her stomach.
Greg Robinson
I don't usually agree with all you say Julie but in this case I totally agree with you.if the bar advertise a drink for sale,you buy it,you surely have a right to expect that drink to be safe for consumption.how can anybody blame the girl.she deserves a big payout!its the bar that need to do their homework on what they're selling.buck stops with them
Juliecrumpton1234
UC, aww! You miss my harri? See what I can do ;-)Greg, thankyou, no we don't always see eye to eye, but this time we do! Not the girls fault, how could it be? All food stuff should be safe for human consumption, all you eggheads that know your science, well done you do have a relevant point, it's dangerous! So then why was it apparently "approved?" Then sold?
t.bulgin
Poor girl, I hope she get loads of compo, she deserves all the help she can get now.
Dave Harrison
tb. This is a dreadful story of what can happen given a moments thoughtlessness. This kid will have to live with the effects of her stupidity for the rest of her life. Very sad.
Name witheld
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Juliecrumpton1234
Seems, t bulgin, there's not much going in the way of compassion on here, eh?
Dave Harrison
Julie. Its not that I don't feel compassion for the girl, I do. What gets my goat is the minute she has a few moments to think the first word that comes into her head is compensation. How is money going to improve this girls life?
Michael Hawkins
The Bar has a duty of care to its customers. Is often created using dry Ice, a safe ingredient, liquid nitrogen is a new development Bars should not provide potentually dangerous drinks, if this was any other industry the company would be hauled over the coals by the H&SE The bar sold the drink as a safe product they should pay up
Dave Harrison
Michael. The bar have do a responsibility for ensuring that a product they sold is safe and fit for purpose and said as much in my post. I don't think the bar would just have dreamed up the idea out of thin air and imagine that this drink has been tested and licenced for sale.
Michael Hawkins
Liquid nitrogen is used purely to give the smoke or to chill quickly for no other reason - the same can be achieved with dry Ice - the drink should not be touched until the smoke has gone. Chefs like Heston whats his name have been using this for years Dave how many cocktails do you know the contents of ?
Juliecrumpton1234
Well said, Michael!
Jenny Caine
As some of yoy who have commented seemed to have forgotten from chemistry in school that ethonal is alcohol? Maybe you should stop giving this girl a hard time. Why shouldn't it be safe to drink liquid nitrogen if ethonal al. Remember chemistry yourselves first before putting blame on this poor girl!!
Dave Harrison
Jenny. Are you for real. Why shouldn't it be safe to drink liquid nitrogen ?? For the same reason it isn't safe to drink bleach
Jenny Caine
Yes I am for real. As ive stated alcohol is ethanol which is diluted down to give us the beers lagers spirits etc which majority consume. Now who is to say. (unless they are an expert) that there isnt a safe level consume? I think most are forgetting that you're only blaming this girl and not the fact that she is an 18 year old girl. Now a drink like this will be attractive at that age!
Louisa Gieldon
I understand what liquid nitrogen is and am ols and staid enough not to wish a to consume a drinl which includes this substance. If i was eighteen i would have assumes it safe as it was sold legally and openly by a large nationwide chain of pubs. I cannot understand why so many people on here are calling this young lass stupid. Reading comments such as the ones on here must hurt and disturb her and her family
Juliecrumpton1234
Exactly, Louisa, just imagine if your own child was in this state? Would you be telling them, " oh serve you right!".....unbelievable!
Name witheld
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Steven Jones
It seems that simple common sense is missing, is a simple normal drink not good enough. She paid the price for being stupid, it is a terrible price to pay and a hard lesson learnt.
Dave Harrison
I agree Steven. A tragic situation and all the money in the world isn't going to make matters any better for her.
Louisa Gieldon
I do not understand why you think she was stupid. This was sold to her over the counter and quite legally. Why on earth does that make her silly or stupid. I think it is very cruel to say that about her.
Juliecrumpton1234
Lack of compassion, guys, why was it sold? Not her fault at all!
james stevenson
All for an extra buz, we all know what the next trip would be
Louisa Gieldon
To make the assumption that this girl would have moved on to drugs because she drank something that looked eye catching, legally, across a bar, is unfair and horribly cruel and insulting to her.
james stevenson
They are aimed at younger people Ms Scanlon, because it is always in peer groups, to do stupid things, then cry about them afterwards. I would have assumed that you would have had more common sense than to do this
Juliecrumpton1234
Peer group or not, it should not have been sold at all, whoever passed it as " safe" is at fault
paulnaylor
i think some of you may be missing the point, for instance if you bought a drink in a bar containing a toxic substance and as a consequence you became ill im pretty sure you would think you would be in your right to sue....same applies here as far as i can see
Dave Harrison
Be careful Paul. Many thousands of people buy the toxic substance alcohol every weekend and become ill afterwards. Please don't give them any ideas or we will be having drunks suing for hangovers next
paulnaylor
how about say arsenic
movvi
I think so too, Paul. Eating or drinking liquid nitrogen to me seems ridiculous. I can't believe a law allows it!
Juliecrumpton1234
So whoever passed it as " safe"......there is the culprit!
Louisa Gieldon
Shame on all you posters who are putting the blame for this horrible incident on to this young lady. She was old enough to drink legally and was right to assume that something sold from behind a bar was fit to drink and was safe. She bought this particular cocktail because of it's novelty effects and we are not all chemists who would understand the implications and possible dangers. If this was my child i would be livid, but would not blame the bar either. I'd sue the manufacturers for making it and the government for approving the license
Juliecrumpton1234
THANKYOU LOUISA! WHAT I HAVE SAID ALL ALONG...you have been missed! X
Louisa Gieldon
Been on holiday for two weeks Jools. Please bring back wee Hari!!
movvi
I am horribly jealous! x
Juliecrumpton1234
Aww, welcome back Louise! Hope you had fab time! :-) I'm not sure if I can put a pic on system I'm using, I will try! :-) xxx
Dave Harrison
Louisa. I was concerned you had run away with the milkman. Hope you had a super holiday and nice to have you back
Louisa Gieldon
Thank you all. Look forward to some more spats Dave!! ( The milkman got fed up with me and my loony left wing feminist rants and sent me home! )
movvi
I posted the same sentiment when the story broke, but it seems to me ridiculous that anyone thought it would be a good idea to sell LIQUID NITROGEN as a drink for consumption by humans in the first place. I find it equally unbelievable that an 18 year old - or adult of any age really - would then think it a good idea to try some, but for the benefit of those who don't realise what liquid nitrogen is, and so can't make a real decision about taking it, it just shouldn't be available.
Louisa Gieldon
I agree that it seems mad but i think most young folk wouldn't understand what it was and be repulsed by the idea in the way that we would be. Personally. i'd think, "liquid nitrogen!, NO WAY!" but i just think that most folk wouldn't have a clue what it was
Sally Watkins
Poor poor Girl...... Literally SCARRED FOR LIFE ;((((( SUE THEM !!!!!
Phil A
10:52am on 27/10/2012
She has been in hospital for 3 weeks and Lancs police say 'The investigation is still in its early stages'. And then they wonder why they a called Plod. Perhaps we need to put 'Do not Drink' warning signs on bottles of liquid nitrogen.
Juliecrumpton1234
8:47pm on 27/10/2012
Who actualy sanctioned it to be safe enough to sell.....?
bjnk
5:49pm on 28/10/2012
julie, now let me think? mmm could be a government dept. i'm sure they only thought of how safe the product would be and not the amount of tax they would take from it. and some people have the audasity to call me synical.
Juliecrumpton1234
9:36am on 29/10/2012
Bjnk....you have a very good point! She didn't go out that night thinking " I know, I will just have this drink, lose my stomach, and maybe I'll get lots of compo!"