SEPTA: Officer pricked by overdose patient's drug needle
A SEPTA police officer who found a man unconscious at the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby on Thursday accidentally got pricked by an uncapped needle in the man's pocket and was taken to a hospital to be examined, authorities said.
A SEPTA police officer who found a man unconscious at the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby on Thursday accidentally got pricked by an uncapped needle in the man's pocket and was taken to a hospital to be examined, authorities said.
It was about 2 p.m. when the officer saw the man, who looked like he was in his 20s, in a passenger waiting area, SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said.
The officer, a 25-year veteran, went to check if the man was breathing, Busch said.
While waiting for medical assistance, the officer checked the man's pocket for an ID, Busch said.
That's when the officer got "stuck with a needle in the hand," Busch said.
Busch said other officers who came to assist determined that the man was overdosing on heroin and gave him Narcan, a prescription medicine that reverses the effects of an overdose. Once the Narcan was administered, the man regained consciousness, Busch said.
The man and the SEPTA officer, who received initial treatment at the scene, were taken to Delaware County Memorial Hospital, Busch said.
Busch said the officer was treated and released and will get follow-up examinations.
The SEPTA officer "was following the standard procedure for dealing with an incident like this," Busch said.
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