COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A 2-month-old girl was in good condition Monday after being hospitalized with a blood-alcohol level that was reported to be more than four times the legal limit for an adult driver.
The infant was taken to Memorial Hospital early Sunday with a blood-alcohol level of 0.364 percent, KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs reported, citing police department employees it did not identify. She was being treated in the intensive-care unit.
The baby's mother, Sarah Smith, 19, told Colorado Springs station KKTV-TV that she mixed a 3-ounce formula bottle for her daughter with liquid in a water bottle that turned out to be vodka. Police did not return a message left after hours by The Associated Press seeking to confirm the woman's story, though police have said the mother has given conflicting accounts.
Smith told the station that the accident happened Saturday night when the baby's father went into a store to get diapers and the baby became fussy while they waited in the car.
"I'm told by the hospital that the child is in good condition," police Lt. Rafael Cintron said. Cintron said he could not release the baby's alcohol level or other details.
Hospital spokeswoman Sharon Miracle said alcohol is "virtually a poison" at levels as high as those reportedly found in the infant.
"Any time you give alcohol to a child, and at that quantity, it is extremely dangerous," she said.
Authorities were still investigating how the girl ingested the alcohol. Cintron said the incident was being investigated as child abuse.
Authorities said they believe the mother's boyfriend dropped the woman and child at the hospital and left.
The El Paso County Department of Human Services was given custody of the baby, Cintron said.
A driver is considered legally drunk in Colorado with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent.
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It may have been Vodka, But I would still think you could notice it was not water...
The infant was taken to Memorial Hospital early Sunday with a blood-alcohol level of 0.364 percent, KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs reported, citing police department employees it did not identify. She was being treated in the intensive-care unit.
The baby's mother, Sarah Smith, 19, told Colorado Springs station KKTV-TV that she mixed a 3-ounce formula bottle for her daughter with liquid in a water bottle that turned out to be vodka. Police did not return a message left after hours by The Associated Press seeking to confirm the woman's story, though police have said the mother has given conflicting accounts.
Smith told the station that the accident happened Saturday night when the baby's father went into a store to get diapers and the baby became fussy while they waited in the car.
"I'm told by the hospital that the child is in good condition," police Lt. Rafael Cintron said. Cintron said he could not release the baby's alcohol level or other details.
Hospital spokeswoman Sharon Miracle said alcohol is "virtually a poison" at levels as high as those reportedly found in the infant.
"Any time you give alcohol to a child, and at that quantity, it is extremely dangerous," she said.
Authorities were still investigating how the girl ingested the alcohol. Cintron said the incident was being investigated as child abuse.
Authorities said they believe the mother's boyfriend dropped the woman and child at the hospital and left.
The El Paso County Department of Human Services was given custody of the baby, Cintron said.
A driver is considered legally drunk in Colorado with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent.
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It may have been Vodka, But I would still think you could notice it was not water...
