Woman's family gives stern warning about accepting drinks from strangers after she ends up on brink of death

By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-09 02:51:40 | Updated at 2025-01-09 16:00:41 13 hours ago
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A Wyoming family is sounding the alarm on accepting drinks from strangers, after a young mother-of-two almost died.

Kailey Kline, 23, went out with her friends to ring in the new year at the Silver Dollar Bar in Cody, one of the most popular bars in the city - and wound up hospitalized in Billings, Montana for nearly a week.

Her mother, Amber Espinoza, noted to Cowboy State Daily that her daughter rarely goes out drinking and was 'probably too trusting' when a stranger handed her a drink around closing time.

By the time her fiancé, Shawn, picked her up from the bar, he said she seemed a little inebriated, but nothing about her behavior triggered any concerns.

But within 10 minutes of the couple getting home, Shawn said his fiancé started acting strange and began vomiting.

Then she went limp, and started 'foaming at the mouth and then she started seizing,' Espinoza said.

Shawn immediately called an ambulance, which Espinoza, a travel nurse, said may have saved her daughter's life. 

Kailey Kline, 23, almost died after accepting a drink from a stranger on New Year's Eve

Her fiancé, Shawn, immediately called for an ambulance as she started to foam at the mouth and seize shortly after he brought her home

At first, emergency responders could not figure out what was wrong.

They tried to give Kline a dose of valium, which Espinoza said had no effect, and she continued to seize.

Finally, Kline told the EMTs she thought her drink may have been spiked, and the emergency responders intubated her as they brought her to a local hospital in an ambulance.

She then had to be airlifted to St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, where doctors performed more tests.

They put an electroencephalogram on Kline to monitor her brain function while she was sedated on a ventilator.

But Kline, who had no history of seizures or diabetes, continued to convulse every time nurses or doctors tried to give her a stimulant - a symptom commonly associated with antifreeze poisoning.

Her condition continued to worsen, with her sugar and potassium levels dropping, and lactic acid levels increasing, despite nurses giving her recurring fluids and antibiotics.

Every test the hospital ran for drugs also came back clean, leaving hospital staff stumped - until they gave her an antidote for antifreeze, which resulted in almost immediate response from her body.

Kline had to be airlifted to a hospital in Billings, Montana, where she spent a week while Shawn fed her and brushed her hair when she was too weak to do so herself

When Kline's breathing tube was finally removed, one of the first comments out of her mouth was, 'I got roofied,' her mother recounted.

But a nurse at the hospital has since concluded that antifreeze is the 'most likely' cause of Kline's condition - though she noted that a definitive cause will be impossible to determine because her blood was drawn too late after the incident.

Antifreeze has a sweet taste, which makes it difficult to notice when it is combined with another sweet liquid, like a mixed cocktail.

'If she was already drinking sweet drinks or fruity drinks she wouldn't have tasted it,' Espinoza explained.

She noted that her daughter remembers what the stranger who handed her the drink at the bar looks like, and Cody Police Lt. Juston Wead told Cowboy State Daily its officers are investigating the incident 'fairly rapidly' with just 'some people we still need to talk to.'

'We're still working through this case to solidify what happened,' he said.

Wead noted there were no other police reports of drinks being spiked at Silver Dollar that night, but Espinoza said some local social media posts suggested otherwise.

She said she does not blame the establishment for what happened to her daughter, and instead believes the lesson is to not accept drinks from strangers.

'Without knowing who actually did it, it's hard to place blame on a business,' Espinoza said. 'They can't be 100 percent responsible for their patrons all the time.'

Wead agreed, and said people should always remain vigilant about their drinks in public settings.

'It's important to make sure you are aware of your drink because those types of things can happen,' he said, warning: 'Don't accept drinks from people you don't know, don't leave your drink unattended.' 

Kline, a mother-of-two, started to improve almost instantly after doctors gave her an antidote for antifreeze

Fortunately, in Kline's case, she continued to improve - and was even released from the hospital on Monday.

It does not appear Kline suffered any permanent injury or organ damage from the poisoning, though her memory still fades in and out, Espinoza said.

She wrote in an update to an online fundraiser for Kline's medical expenses on Tuesday that her daughter 'woke up adamant to walk on her own out of the hospital doors. She was missing her babies and wanted very much to be home with them. 

'She worked with physical and occupational therapy and did amazing!' Espinoza wrote.

'Her voice is hoarse from the ventilator, she is weak, but she is definitely making positive strides!'

Espinoza went on to say that 'Shawn has been her rock.'

'He's stayed calm, humble and positive in such a chaotic situation. He showed up every day and spent every visiting hour by her side.'

'He fed and combed her hair when she was too weak to do it herself.'

'He has the patience of a saint.' 

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