Despite experts reassuring the public that a person cannot overdose on fentanyl just by touching it, that’s exactly what happened to a female Florida cop who was accidentally exposed during a traffic stop.
Florida cop makes desperate radio plea for help after accidental fentanyl exposure during traffic stop
During a traffic stop, Florida police officer Courtney Bannick found various narcotics on the passenger, and a substance in a rolled-up dollar bill, later believed to be fentanyl, inside the vehicle she and other officers had pulled over.
Shortly after touching the substance, Courtney began struggling to breathe, the New York Post reported.
She desperately reached out for help over the radio, where another officer at the scene heard her choking and breathless and walked over. The officer found her drifting “in and out of consciousness and needing immediate medical attention,” according to a press release by the Tavares Police Department obtained by Click Orlando.
Colleagues administer Narcan to save female officer’s life
The contact with fentanyl by officer Courtney Bannick caused her to accidentally overdose on the drug. A video from one of the officer’s body cameras captured the event as it happened and was published by WFTV9.
Sgt. Mahaney and K-9 Handler Lt. Brown, from Tavares and Astatula police departments, respectively, administered NARCAN to Bannick.
“Breathe – come on, breathe,” one officer is heard saying in the video, Yahoo reported.
Courtney was brought back momentarily and was talking before she lost consciousness once again and appeared to stop breathing, as the body cam footage shows.
“Hit her again,” one of the officers says. “I don’t think she’s breathing. Hit her again.”
The officers ultimately administered three doses of NARCAN to Bannick. They then transported her to the hospital, where she was expected to recover fully.
“I have done this (one hundred) times before the same way,” said officer Courtney Bannick afterward, who was wearing gloves when she was handling the narcotics. “It only takes one time and a minimal amount. I’m thankful I wasn’t alone and had immediate help.”
Officer asked for video to be released to warn public
Courtney requested that the video of her ordeal be released to the public in order to spread awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.
“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,” Tavares police Detective Courtney Sullivan told Fox 35 Orlando, referring to the symbol cops wear when an officer dies in the line of duty.
What you need to know about fentanyl exposure
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “Fentanyl can be absorbed into the body via inhalation, oral exposure or ingestion, or skin contact.”
Previously, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) said: “Incidental skin contact may occur during daily activities but is not expected to lead to harmful effects if the contaminated skin is promptly washed off with water.” However, the DEA has issued a number of other warnings about exposure.
