Dramatic Footage Shows Florida Officer Accidentally Overdose on Fentanyl During Traffic Stop
Florida officer opioid overdose
Mary ManleyA video of a Florida police officer struggling in and out of consciousness was released as an urgent message to the public about the dangers of fentanyl. The drug is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. It is added to other drugs to increase potency, and make illicit sales cheaper. A terrifying video of a Florida officer was recently released showing her in a state of unconsciousness after being just barely exposed to the drug fentanyl. Tavares Officer Courtney Bannick was performing a traffic stop on Tuesday alongside other officers when she found the deadly narcotic inside a rolled-up dollar bill, police believe.Shortly after the vehicle search, Bannock began to struggle to breathe. Luckily another officer heard her choking and realized she needed immediate medical attention.Video of the incident shows officers laying her on the ground and administering Narcan or “naloxone,” a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. The medicine can be administered through a nasal spray or injected directly into a person’s muscle, under the skin, or in their vein, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).The officers had to give Bannick three doses of Narcan as they waited for ambulances to arrive; she is, however, expected to make a full recovery.“She was completely lifeless. She looks deceased in these videos,” Tavares police Detective Courtney Sullivan told an Orlando news outlet. “So she’s very thankful today.”“If the other officers weren’t there, there’s a very high chance and probability that today would be different and that we would be wearing our thin blue line — the straps that go over our badges,” Sullivan said, referring to protocol when an officer dies in the line of duty.Bannick, who was wearing gloves at the time of the search, said she had performed this kind of search “100 times before the same way” adding that it only takes “one time and a minimal amount” to cause someone to have an overdose.“I’m thankful I wasn’t alone and had immediate help,” she said.Officers believe wind may have picked up the fentanyl and blown it into Bannick’s face, causing her to overdose. The individuals they had performed a search on are now facing criminal charges.
