Who is Courtney Bannick? Florida cop receives 3 doses of Narcan after accidental exposure to fentanyl
TAVARES, FLORIDA: A Florida police officer was administered three doses of Narcan after accidental exposure to fentanyl. Tavares Officer Courtney Bannick was conducting a traffic stop on Tuesday, December 13, when she overdosed on the opioid. The shocking moment of Bannick receiving the medication to reverse an opioid overdose was captured in the bodycam video as she lay almost lifeless by the side of the road shortly after midnight.
During the stop, Bannick claimed she found narcotics on the passenger side of the car, which led her to arrest the individuals. The drugs, according to the police, were thought to be fentanyl. Shortly after, the officer started having trouble breathing. When another officer at the scene overheard her choking and gasping for air over her radio, he walked over and found her drifting "in and out of consciousness and needing immediate medical attention,” the Tavares Police Department said in a release obtained by Click Orlando.
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Bannick was put down by the officer who found her gasping for breath and two additional officers, who then quickly gave her Narcan. The bodycam video, which the department made public, shows her speaking before she almost lost consciousness and seemed to have stopped breathing. The police administered a total of three doses of Narcan to her before an ambulance arrived and rushed Bannick to a nearby hospital. She is anticipated to recover fully. “She was completely lifeless. She looks deceased in these videos,” Tavares police Detective Courtney Sullivan told Fox 35 Orlando. “So she’s very thankful today.”
The police believe Bannick was wearing gloves when handling the pills and was exposed because the substances may have been carried into her system by the wind. Because it was so windy, the cops decided to examine the drug inside the station rather than at the scene.
“I have done this 100 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.” She asked for the distressing footage to be made public in order to raise awareness of the risks posed by fentanyl. She added, "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,” Sullivan said, referring to protocol when an officer dies in the line of duty.
As for the individuals that the police allegedly pulled over and found to be in possession of the drugs, likely to be charged with felonies. The department stated that their names have not been made public because no charges have been filed against them.