A mother who discovered her son overdosing in the bathroom had him brought to intensive care. However, authorities believe that the mother was exposed to the substance while cleaning up, and as a result, the mother fatally overdosed herself.
On November 5, the 45-year-old Ronald Plummer was discovered unconscious in the bathroom alongside drug paraphernalia. His mother, Theresa Plummer, who was 69 years old, called an ambulance, and then stayed by his side as he entered intensive care.
However, she later left his side and returned home to clean up the bathroom, where authorities believe she unintentionally received a dose of the substance and overdosed herself. Finding herself short of breath, Theresa went to the hospital herself.
On November 6, Theresa died at the hospital, and on November 7, Ronald died as well. While authorities have yet to identify the substance that was involved in the incident, it serves as a powerful reminder of how potent certain drugs can prove to be. Being exposed to these extremely potent substances, such as fentanyl, can have dire consequences.
For this reason, many experts — including those at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration — have argued that first responders should be equipped with the potentially lifesaving opioid-overdose reversing medication naloxone. With naloxone on hand, first responders would be prepared to both help individuals struggling with addiction who have overdosed when they arrived on the scene, as well as immediately administering the medication to themselves should they become exposed to fentanyl or another potent opioid.
According to authorities, the toxicology results won’t be completed for at least six to eight weeks, so the substance which caused them both to overdose will not be identified before that time. Regardless of the conclusions of the toxicology report, the unfortunate incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of substance abuse, and the vital importance of access to adequate addiction recovery treatment.
