The Tavares Police Department released footage of the moment an officer overdosed after being exposed to fentanyl during a traffic stop.
Officer Courtney Bannick began overdosing after accidentally ingesting the powerful drug during a traffic stop, according to KKTV.
According to reports, Bannick said she was about to go back to her precinct to test the drug but suddenly struggled to breathe as she headed to her car.
"We made the mindful decision that we’re going to go back to the police department because it was windy. We’ll test [the narcotics] there. Sadly, I just never made it there," Bannick said, per Click Orlando.
Check out the harrowing footage below:"As soon as I started talking, I was light-headed a little bit and started almost choking," she continued. "I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t getting enough air and I remember kind of wheezing, gasping."
A fellow officer immediately noticed something was not right and administered three doses of Narcan, which acts as an antidote to overdoses. The veteran officer was then rushed to a local hospital but has since returned to the force.
Credit: Tavares Police Department
Bannick, who was wearing surgical gloves while handling the drug, said she could not remember how she ingested it, but said it may have been caused by her touching her face at some point.
"I’m very mindful that I don’t touch my face if I have gloves on, but did I wipe my nose with my wrist? I don’t know," she said.
Credit: Tavares Police Department
Bannick, who wanted the graphic footage to be released to educate people on how dangerous fentanyl is, said the opioid is always evolving.
"We’re not dealing with pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl," she said. "Every day these street chemists are coming up with something because drug users are building a tolerance to it."
Credit: Tavares Police Department
Bannick also shared her gratitude to her colleagues for their quick-thinking during the ordeal, which happened in 2022.
"If I was searching that car alone, or testing those drugs alone, or whatever the case may be and I didn’t have Narcan available, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t be here right now," she said.
Speaking to FOX35 Orlando after the dramatic incident, Officer Courtney Sullivan recalled: "She was completely lifeless, she looked deceased in these videos. So she is 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."
Bannick went on to add: "I have done this 100 times before the same way.
"It only takes one time and a minimal amount. I’m thankful I wasn’t alone and had immediate help."
.jpg_wXEJDz?tr=h-184)
.jpg_7okWtP?tr=h-184)
