The San Diego County Sheriff's Department is facing some skepticism over a recent video meant to warn of the dangers of fentanyl.
The video was from police bodycam footage, showing David Faiivae and his partner making a drug arrest. Suddenly, Faiivae falls to the ground, unable to breathe. It appears that Faiivae accidentally overdoses from an open bag of fentanyl, which is a deadly opioid. His partner administers Narcan but shares that he came close to losing Faiivae.
"Fire department got there, put him on the gurney," his partner said.
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"His eyes rolled back in his head and he started to OD again. He was OD'ing the whole way to the hospital."
The deputy made a full recovery and is able to speak to his experience today. Unfortunately, the reception to the footage wasn't what the department expected, as some questioned the instantaneous nature of the events. Medical experts say it's impossible to overdose from airborne exposure to the drug.
"I can tell you with essentially 100% surety that this was not fentanyl poisoning," Dr. Lewis Nelson, director of medical toxicology at Rutgers’ University Hospital, told Inside Edition.
"When people get fentanyl poisoned, they don't just collapse like that and not moments after an exposure."
Dr. Nelson believes the deputy's reaction was from the psychological stress of the situation. He understands the PSA was well intentioned, but he fears the consequences of misinformation.
"I'm very concerned that they're not going to respond to somebody who actually needs medical assistance," he said.
