Police released footage after officer overdosed during traffic stop

Disturbing body camera footage captures the instance when an officer appears to experience a fentanyl overdose during a routine traffic stop.

The Tavares Police Department released the video featuring Officer Courtney Bannick, who struggled for survival after stopping a vehicle in December of last year.

View the footage below:

"When individuals overdose on fentanyl, their breathing may slow or cease, leading to a reduction in the oxygen supply to the brain," according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

This scenario appeared to unfold in Florida when Bannick was questioning a passenger found with fentanyl wrapped in a dollar bill. Despite wearing gloves, the protection they provided was insufficient against the illicit substance.

Before long, Bannick lost consciousness and collapsed in the middle of a road. Officers tried to rouse her gently by lightly tapping her face.

"She's not breathing, Ronnie, hit her again," one officer instructed.

"She was completely lifeless, she looked deceased in these videos," Courtney Sullivan, a fellow officer, told FOX35 Orlando.

"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."

Thankfully Bannick is now recovering and said: "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."

At the time, the individuals in the vehicle faced possible felony charges.

We are yet to hear an update on the individuals involved.

As per experts interviewed by NPR, police officers are reportedly experiencing severe medical symptoms after coming into contact with or inhaling powdered fentanyl every few weeks. However, these experts argue that officers are not actually undergoing fentanyl or opioid overdoses.

Dr. Ryan Marino, a toxicologist and emergency room physician specializing in addiction at Case Western Reserve University, stated, "This has never happened. There has never been an overdose through skin contact or accidentally inhaling fentanyl." According to Marino, fentanyl does not efficiently penetrate the skin, especially in its dry powder form found in street drugs.

Brandon Del Pozo, a former police chief and researcher in addiction and drug policy at Brown University, supported this view, saying, "There's never been a toxicologically confirmed case. The idea of it hanging in the air and getting breathed in is highly, highly implausible—it's nearly impossible."

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