A young woman was revived by Seattle police, Seattle Fire Department paramedics and her mother after she suffered a near-fatal overdose Tuesday at her North Seattle home.
The 18-year-old woman’s mother called 911 dispatchers shortly after 12:36 PM and reported her daughter was overdosing at her home near NE 50th Street and Sand Point Way NE.
As dispatchers coached the mother through starting CPR, Officers Bruce Menne and David White–who were just down the street from the home at Children’s Hospital–rushed to the scene.
Officers Menne and White found the 18-year-old woman on the floor of her small bedroom. She was not breathing and didn’t appear to have a pulse, so officers quickly moved her out into a hallway and began working to resuscitate her.
Several minutes passed as Officer Menne performed CPR on the young woman. She began taking shallow breaths on her own, and Seattle Fire medics soon arrived and connected to an oxygen mask to stabilize her. The young woman was able to walk out of the home under her own power to a waiting ambulance, which took her to an area hospital for further treatment.
The mother’s quick call to 911 allowed police and medics to arrive in time to prevent this young woman’s death. As a reminder, Washington law provides immunity from criminal drug possession charges for anyone seeking medical aid for themselves or someone else experiencing an overdose.
Seattle police continue to work to reduce overdose deaths in our city, and recently partnered with The Marah Project to equip bicycle patrol officers with Naloxone, a life-saving drug which can counteract the effects of an opioid overdose. The University of Washington will study SPD’s use of Naloxone for a possible department-wide expansion of the program.