An East Liverpool, Ohio police officer nearly died Friday night after suffering an accidental drug overdose following a traffic stop.
Officer Chris Green responded to a traffic stop on Lisbon Street to assist in the search of a vehicle driven by Justin Buckel when suspected drugs were found scattered inside, according to The Morning Journal.
With the potentially lethal effects of fentanyl becoming more know, the department began outfitting cruisers with special protective gear including masks, gloves and other items.
“When I got to the scene, he was covered in it," Green said, referring to the drug. "I patted him down, and that was the only time I didn’t wear gloves. Otherwise, I followed protocol."
About an hour after officers had returned to the police station Buckel indicated he was not feeling well, and an ambulance was called.
As the officer talked at the station while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, someone pointed out to Green he had something on his shirt and he quickly wiped it off with his bare hand.
Within a few minutes, the officer says he felt strange.
"I started talking weird. I slowly felt my body shutting down," he told the newspaper. "I could hear them talking, but I couldn’t respond. I was in total shock. 'No way I’m overdosing,' I thought."
Officer Rob Smith grabbed Green as he fell to the floor, and the arriving ambulance crew began working on the officer and administered a dose of Narcan.
At the hospital, three additional doses had to be given to completely revive him.
“God was surely looking over me,” Green said.
East Liverpool Police Chief John Lane said the officer is lucky the effects hit him before he left the station.
"If he would have been alone, he would have been dead," Lane said. "That's how dangerous this stuff is. What if he went home and got it on his family members?"
Green was treated and released Friday, and when contacted Saturday said he was still feeling the effects of the substance.
The incident is currently under investigation.
