Wed Dec 12, 3:27 PM ET
A man nearly died from alcohol poisoning after quaffing two pints of vodka at
an airport security check instead of handing it over to comply with new rules
about carrying liquids aboard a plane, police said Wednesday.
The incident occurred Tuesday at the Nuremberg airport, where the 64-year-old
man was switching planes on his way home to Dresden from a vacation in Egypt.
New airport rules prohibit passengers from carrying larger quantities of liquid
onto planes, and he was told at a security check he would have to either throw
out the bottle of vodka or pay a fee to have his carry-on bag checked.
Instead, he chugged the vodka and was quickly unable to stand or otherwise
function, police said.
A doctor called to the scene determined he had possibly life-threatening
alcohol poisoning, and he was sent to a Nuremberg clinic for treatment. The
man, whose name was not released, is expected to be able to go home in a few
days.