Toddler OD's at Shields Road, mom claims no knowledge

BOARDMAN

Emergency medical workers reported that a toddler who was treated at a fire station suffered a drug overdose.

Township police are now investigating the incident, reported Tuesday.

Fire Chief Mark Pitzer said a firefighter at the station on Shields Road saw a vehicle sitting at the traffic light in front of the station about 5 p.m. and went to check if something was wrong after the vehicle didn’t move on a green light. At that point, the firefighter realized a child in the vehicle was having a medical emergency, Pitzer said, leading the firefighter to grab the child and bring her inside the station. There, the 15-month-old began to breathe again after firefighters administered first aid.

At the time, firefighters were told that the child had choked on some chips, according to a police report.

About an hour later, however, a police officer who responded to the incident was notified that the child was found to have suffered a drug overdose, according to the report.

Workers at Akron Children’s Hospital Beeghly Campus emergency room told police that oxycodone, an opioid pain medication, was found in the child’s bloodstream.

The child, who an officer reported was “very lethargic, and had a hard time keeping her eyes open,” was given naloxone, a medication that treats the effects of opioid overdoses.

Police interviewed the child’s mother, who said she did not know how oxycodone got into her child’s bloodstream.

Read more about the matter in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.