Scary moment female Florida cop nearly dies from “fentanyl exposure.”
A Florida police officer nearly died as she was left choking and unable to breathe after being ‘exposed to fentanyl’ during a traffic stop on Tuesday. Officer Courtney Bannick had pulled over a car in the early hours of the morning and discovered a passenger with narcotics rolled up in a dollar bill.
After Bannick had brought the passenger to jail, her colleagues began to hear her struggling to breathe over their radios and rushed to help her.
In the footage of the incident, Officer Courtney Bannick can be seen lying on the floor. Another Florida officer, who stands above her, can be seen administering three doses of Narcan, an opioid overdose-reversing drug.
After the Florida officers succeed in making her regain consciousness for a sustained period of time, they sit her up as another official stands behind her. She was later taken to a local hospital by ambulance.
A spokesperson for the Tavares Police Department said that Bannick does not recall much from the incident.
Courtney Sullivan of the Tavares Police Department described the course of events that led to Courtney Bannick’s supposed overdose.
Sullivan said:
“Whenever (Courtney Bannick) saw it rolled up in a dollar bill, she noticed that. She just barely opened it and saw that it was narcotics. Closed it quickly,”
Sullivan said that while Bannick was wearing gloves, as is routine during searches, she noticed that the substance seemed to have an effect on her. Florida authorities added that she faced concerning symptoms despite safely handling the drug.
Sullivan added, “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.”
Sullivan went on to explain how Narcan ultimately may have saved Bannick’s life. She said:
“It’s a blocker for 15 to 30 minutes. So it’s a small window where you wake up and you’re like, ‘OK, I’m fine,’ but you’re not. It’s a small window to get to the hospital and to get the care that you need. That was the Narcan essentially ending its blockage and then her overdosing again. So they administered a third Narcan.”
After the experience, Courtney Bannick requested that the bodycam footage be shared, as she thought it was important for people to see the effects of what was believed to be fentanyl.
Sullivan said, “Officer Bannick really wants others to take away that this drug is dangerous. It’s dangerous for not only yourself but others around you. Something as simple as the wind could expose you and just like that, your life could end.”
The alleged owners of the fentanyl may face felony charges for drug possession.
(WARNING: Video may be disturbing for some viewers)
Sources: 100PercentFedUp, NYpost