Police Officer Accidentally Overdoses on Fentanyl Just by Touching It
During a routine traffic stop, East Liverpool, OH Officer Chris Green had worn gloves and a mask; there was white powder throughout the car, and he didn’t want to contaminate evidence. He had finished the search and removed his gloves, when another officer pointed out some powder on Green’s shirt. Without thinking, he brushed it off – and an hour later, he passed out at the police station. It took 4 doses of Narcan to revive him.
That white powder was fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s between 50x and 100x stronger than morphine. For perspective, this photo (published by the Huffington Post) shows the lethal dosage of heroin next to a lethal dosage of fentanyl:
Fentanyl is also at the heart of a controversy surrounding Insys Therapeutics, makers of the fentanyl drug Subsys. Insys has had multiple lawsuits filed against it because of their marketing practices. A number of high ranking employees as well as participating doctors have been charged with criminal activity based on both the marketing and the prescribing of the drug to patients who should not have been introduced to it in the first place.
McGowan Hood & Felder, LLC is proud to represent clients throughout the country, who have been prescribed Subsys, or other dangerous fentanyl-based painkillers, for chronic pain-management or for other non-intended uses. To learn more about our services, or to speak with an experienced defective drug attorney, please call 803-327-7800 or fill out our contact form.
Randy is the former President of the South Carolina Association for Justice. He has been certified by the American Board of Professional Liability as a specialist in Medical Malpractice Law which is recognized by the South Carolina Bar. Randy has also been awarded the distinction of being a “Super Lawyer” 10 times in the last decade. He has over 25 years of experience helping injured people fight back against corporations, hospitals and wrong-doers.
Read more about S. Randall Hood