A Florida police officer has recounted the moments leading up to his collapse during a routine traffic stop that left him exposed to fentanyl after the harrowing ordeal.
Tavares Police Officer Courtney Bannick joined “America’s Newsroom” Thursday to discuss the incident, two days after her colleagues used Narcan to save her life.
“When I was opening the dollar bill, I partially opened it because I felt something inside,” Bannick told anchors Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer. “I noticed a white powdery substance. I’ve dealt with fentanyl many times, so I believe that’s what it was. And I rewrapped it and put it back there. We kind of sealed it we put and left from there “.
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A police officer who was at the scene with Bannik found him unconscious and in need of medical attention. Bannick was taken to a local hospital where he is expected to make a full recovery.
(Tavares Police Department)
Bannick said a routine traffic stop was performed “hundreds” of times before it had life-threatening effects.
After searching the vehicle and its occupants, he eventually found a dollar bill with the deadly drug inside.
He alerted two other officers who were with him at the scene that he had been found.
“I don’t really remember the story, but I do know that when I found the drugs, it was wrapped in a dollar bill, so I tried to explain to them where I believed the drugs were. they were exposed while they were out, so they were aware, so it didn’t happen to them,” Bannick said.
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After finding the dollar bill, Bannick said he decided to take the drugs back to the police station for testing because the high winds could pose a danger to him and other narcotics officers.
“When I went to report that we were going to the police station, I started to feel so light-headed that I couldn’t speak,” Bannick said. “I felt like I was choking. After seeing the bodycam, I can now hear myself choking, but I remember consciously not thinking I was overdosing.”
– It didn’t even occur to me then.
Courtney Bannick, the officer who found the drugs, said the passenger was having trouble breathing after being taken to the Lake County Jail, the police department said.
(Tavares Police Department)
One police officer’s body camera footage showed him collapsing, prompting officers to administer three doses of Narcan to reverse the poisoning as he was passed out and passed out.
He credited the officer’s quick thinking with saving his life.
While he’s grateful to be alive, the dangerous trend in the Florida community is rare as the fentanyl crisis continues to derail public safety.
“We respond to an overdose almost every shift,” he said. “If it’s not every shift, we’re dealing with it. I see a fentanyl overdose or multiple possession here almost once a week.”