TAVARES, Fla. – A Florida police officer suffered a negative reaction and was left choking and breathless after she collapsed as a result of a possible fentanyl exposure during a roadside investigation, according to authorities.
The incident occurred early Tuesday morning during a traffic stop that led to a detention. An officer with the Tavares Police Department discovered narcotics on a passenger in the vehicle that was pulled over, FOX 35 Orlando reported.
Officer Courtney Bannick was identified as the officer who went into duress after she discovered the narcotics. During the encounter she began having difficulty breathing once the passenger was taken to the Lake County Jail, and suddenly she was in medical duress.
“She keyed up on the radio where she was heard choking and breathless,” according to a statement from the Tavares Police Department.
Another officer who was on the scene went to check on Bannick and saw that she was drifting in and out of consciousness and needed medical attention. That officer, with the assistance of another Tavares police officer and an Astatula police officer, removed Bannick from her vehicle and quickly administered Narcan, a medication used in emergency opiate overdoses, bodycam video shows, FOX 35 reported.
The officer was wearing gloves while she handled the narcotics, police said.
“She was completely lifeless. She looks deceased in these videos,” said Tavares Police Det. Courtney Sullivan, “so she’s very thankful today.”
Bannick was transported to the hospital where she received further medical treatment. Fortunately, she is expected to make a full recovery, FOX reported.
“I have done this one-hundred times before the same way. It only takes one time and a minimal amount,” Bannick said. “I’m thankful I wasn’t alone and had immediate help.”
The Tavares Police Department noted the situation “could have ended differently if our officers did not react the way they did.”
