A Florida officer is thankful to be alive after coming in contact with the super-powerful and, many times fatal, synthetic opioid fentanyl.
The Tavares Police Department released shocking bodycam footage of the moment Officer Courtney Bannick was administered the opioid overdose-reversing drug Narcan after she was exposed to fentanyl and reportedly overdosed during a Monday night traffic stop.
A spokesperson for the police department said Bannick found the narcotics rolled up inside a dollar bill.
“Next thing you know, she was trying to speak on the radio and you could hear in the radio traffic almost like she was choking,” the spokesperson said.
Cops reported Bannick was wearing gloves during the stop and practiced safe handling. Still, she suddenly began having trouble breathing and drifting in and out of consciousness.
Assisting officers quickly administered Narcan, which brought Bannick back. However, she again lost consciousness and appeared to have stopped breathing, bodycam footage shows.
Officers administer three cans of Narcan prior to an ambulance arriving.
Bannick was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. She has requested that the bodycam footage be released to show the public how dangerous the drug is.
As far as the individuals involved in the traffic stop, they are facing possible felony charges.
This type of exposure has been bandied about before. The science shows it is excited delirium.