A bar in Lancaster has been fined £100,000 after serving a drink containing liquid nitrogen which resulted in a young woman having her stomach removed. Gaby Scanlon was out celebrating her 18th birthday when she drank a complimentary Nitro-Jagermeister drink at Oscar’s in Lancaster.
Now 20-years-old, Gaby told the Preston Crown Court that she experienced “an explosion” in her stomach. Smoke billowed from her mouth and nose and she tore her clothes off in agonising pain. The liquid nitrogen which is usually used for freezing substances immediately killed the cells of Gaby’s stomach. The young girl had to endure life saving surgery to remove her stomach, connecting her small intestine to her oesophagus.
Ms Scanlon said: “I turned to the man and asked if it was okay 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 barman, Matthew Harding, pleaded not guilty to failing in his duty to follow health and safety procedures which was accepted. In June the bar pleaded guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act.