After overdosing on the lethal drug fentanyl last week, a Florida police officer needed hospitalization. Surprisingly, the officer required immediate medical assistance after unintentionally ingesting the medication while conducting a traffic check. It’s a terrifying illustration of just how harmful illegal drugs can be.
During a traffic check on December 13 in Tavares, Florida, police officer Courtney Bannick discovered what she thought to be illegal drugs. Bannick bagged the narcotics as evidence and put on gloves as per protocol.
How dangerous is #fentanyl? Investigators believe a Tavares Police Officer caught wind of the drug during a traffic stop and ended up unconscious on the ground. Fellow officers gave her Narcan and likely saved her life. @fox35orlando https://t.co/UzI7Q57zhe
— Amy Kaufeldt FOX 35 (@Fox35Amy) December 14, 2022
She then started walking back to her car, but a coworker, Corporal Cullen O’Shea, overheard her gasping for air and called for help. She was already losing consciousness when he arrived at her car to check on her.
Bannick received three doses of the opiate antidote Narcan from coworkers promptly before being sent to the hospital. Later, when asked how many times she had done this, she replied, “It only takes one time and a minimal quantity.”
What chance do the rest of us have if even a cop following correct procedures is at risk from increasingly potent drugs?
Officer Bannick is one of the fortunate ones; doctors anticipate that she will fully recover as a result of the quick actions of the medical staff and her fellow officers. The majority of the 80,816 opiate overdose deaths in the US last year were caused by fentanyl.
