7 people injured on the Golden Gate Bridge due to a deadly substance

Police officers and a tow truck driver have been released from the hospital after allegedly being poisoned by fentanyl on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. ABC7.

Photo: Shutterstock

Four California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers, a Golden Gate Bridge patrolman and a tow truck driver have been released from the hospital after allegedly being exposed to the opioid drug fentanyl. The driver, who was found unconscious in a car on the bridge and to whom all the other victims went to help, is still in the hospital.

Seven people were initially hospitalized after possible exposure to fentanyl during an investigation into a vehicle crash near the Golden Gate Bridge on the morning of Sunday, September 7, according to CHP officials.

At about 11:45 am, the officers responded to the emergency call. The vehicle was reported to have moved erratically, entering and exiting lane, almost colliding with a bump stop in the center of the bridge.

CHP and Golden Gate Bridge patrol officers arrived at the scene and found the vehicle crashed at the Alexander Avenue exit in Marin County.

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According to Andrew Barclay of Marin CHP, the first patrol officer to enter the crashed car felt "extremely ill and showed symptoms of possible exposure to fentanyl."

“Shortly after that, he fell and basically became unresponsive to those around him,” Barclay said.

In addition, the second CHP officer, the bridge patrol and the tow truck driver began to show symptoms of chemical poisoning.

Officials found a white powdery substance in the car that they believed was fentanyl.

Dr. Anna Lembke of Stanford University says fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, and if it really was fentanyl, it could be fatal. Now the substance is being tested in the laboratory.

“Today, fentanyl causes more opioid overdose deaths than any other opioid entering the illicit market,” she said. “People take it without even knowing what they are using.” "They are purchasing what they believe are pharmaceutical grade opioid pills when in fact the drug is tainted with fentanyl."

CHP officers believe there was fentanyl powder in the vehicle and the victims inhaled it.

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Due to the extreme danger of exposure to fentanyl, the Alexander Avenue exit off Highway 101 north was closed and the area was designated a crime scene and hazardous substance exposure.

Representatives from the California Patrol, Marin County Fire Department, Sheriff's Office and Hazardous Substances Response Team came to the scene to clean the vehicle and make it safe for evacuation. Later, all entrances and exits were reopened on Alexander Avenue.

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