Narcan administered in pair of drug overdose incidents

Naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan, was administered in a pair of incidents where three people overdosed on drugs on Thursday, two on the border of Auburn Hills and Lake Orion and the other in Pontiac, according to a press release.

All survived the incidents and were taken to McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac for further observation and treatment afterwards.

“The opioid epidemic continues to be a serious problem the affects countless lives, devastates families and impacts communities everywhere,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in the release.

In the first incident, a motorist noticed a pickup truck moving slowly at about 11:20 a.m., east of the traffic light at Lapeer Road.

Both the driver, a 39-year-old Pontiac resident, and the passenger, a 35-year-old resident of Quincy, Kentucky, were reported to both be slumped over and unconscious inside the moving truck.

While the first motorist called 9-1-1, a second motorist left his vehicle and ran alongside the pickup truck. He opened the truck’s door (likely drivers side) and stopped the vehicle.

Police arrived, specifically Dep. Craig Stout, who was dispatched to the incident.

Stout determined the driver was unconscious but breathing; however, the passenger was not and was turning blue.

The deputy removed the passenger from the truck, administered Narcan and began performing CPR, with Stout’s dashcam recording his emergency response.

He continued to perform chest compressions until paramedics from the Orion Township Fire Department and Auburn Hills police arrived.

The man began labored breathing on his own, had a pulse and began to regain consciousness.

Police said as the passenger began to regain consciousness, he became restless, said he was cold and asked to stand up.

He also admitted to rescuers that he had taken heroin and prescription narcotics were later found in the pickup truck.

The driver was also examined and both men were taken to the hospital.

“But for the training and quick thinking of Deputy Stout and the assistance of two alert motorists, the families of the men in that truck would be planning two funerals today,” Bouchard said in the release.

He also said, “Our deputies go through extensive training for situations just like this. I applaud the two motorists who observed what was happening and called us, and the life-saving skills demonstrated by Deputy Stout. It was a good result that would have been a tragedy.”

Bouchard also said Stout and the motorists who reported the incident to police would be recommended for life saving citations.

Police and Star EMS also responded to a 43-year-old Pontiac man at the 80 block of S. Merrimac Street, who was apparently not breathing.

Deputies located the man and administered two doses of Naloxone upon their arrival until Star EMS got to the scene and took over treatment.

The man was revived and transported to the hospital.

The release said the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has used Narcan more than 300 times since 2015 to save a life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States from June 2019 to May 2020 – the highest number ever recorded in a 12-month period.

To help combat this issue, Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities is providing virtual training on how to use the opioid antidote Narcan. Starting this month, the Auburn Hills-based organization is also offering drive up training.

“We are concerned about the increase in accidental overdoses over the past year and decided we need to bring the training to where people are in the community,” said Julie Brenner, president and CEO of Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities.

“We have saved at least seven lives since the pandemic began with our trainings and are here to help those who need it the most.”

The free drive-up Narcan trainings take place from noon to 2 p.m. every Friday though April 2 at a different host site.