Trooper Has to Be Revived After Drug Stop

A Vermont state trooper nearly died in the line of duty over a traffic stop, but not for the reason you might expect. Sgt. Brett Flansburg apparently came into contact with drugs during his search of a suspect's car before collapsing, reports MassLive. Flansburg was able to call for help before he went down in the parking lot of the troopers' barracks in New Haven, and fellow troopers came to his aid and administered two doses of the narcotic-reversal drug Narcan. Flansburg was unresponsive at that point, and he needed a third dose in the ambulance. But the trooper is fine now and out of the hospital.

"I’m angry at how close we came," says Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, per MYNBC5. “Were it not for the immediate availability of Narcan and the quick actions of his fellow troopers and medical personnel, we might be speaking today about the death of a trooper." It's unclear what drug caused the reaction. During the traffic stop, Flansburg said he saw 25-year-old Taylor Woodward swallow something, and Woodward admitted it was heroin, say police. Flansburg then searched the vehicle and reported finding a small amount of heroin and a syringe. The trooper fell ill upon his return to the barracks. (The surgeon general wants more people to carry Narcan.)