A New York State Trooper had to be hospitalized after getting exposed to opioids while responding to a driver who was suffering an apparent overdose while on a Long Island highway, according to police.
The strange incident began just after 1:15 p.m. Thursday on the Wantagh State Parkway in Hempstead, the state police said. Troopers were responding to reports of an erratic driver heading south, and found the vehicle crashed minutes later.
The driver was not responding and appeared to be suffering from am opioid overdose, state police said. The responding troopers administered Narcan, and the driver was taken to Nassau University Medical Center.
While investigating the crash, one of the troopers started experiencing symptoms that are associated with opioid exposure, according to NY State Police. The trooper was also administered Narcan and taken to the hospital.
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Neither the condition of the driver nor the trooper was immediately clear. However, the 35-year-old driver, identified as Jaqueline Morales, of East Meadow, was later arrested and charged with driving while impaired by drugs and possession of a controlled substance.
It was not immediately clear if Morales had an attorney.
