On December 13, 2022 at midnight, Officer Courtney Bannick of the Tavares Police Department overdosed on fentanyl during a traffic stop in Lake County, Florida. Officer Bannick inadvertently ingested fentanyl due to drugs the suspects had in a vehicle.
Officer Bannick pulled the vehicle over and saw various narcotics and paraphernalia in the suspect vehicle. At some point during the traffic stop, Officer Bannick breathed in fentanyl.
The suspects were taken to jail by other officers. Officer Bannick keyed up on the radio where she was heard breathless and choking.
Corporal O’Shea with the police department recognized that Officer Bannick’s voice sounded different and walked to her vehicle to check on her, where he found her slipping in and out of consciousness in need of medical assistance.
Corporal O’Shea, Sergeant Mahaney, and a police Lieutenant immediately rendered aid by utilizing Narcan.
Officer Bannick became unresponsive and lifeless several times while waiting for Emergency Medical Services to arrive on scene, which is why three doses of Narcan were needed to keep her alive.
Narcan is a medication that is used in emergency incidents when an individual is overdosing on drugs. Officer Bannick survived the fentanyl overdose, and she is in recovery.
