Woman saves dying stranger amid state rise in overdose deaths

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – A rise in Rhode Island overdose deaths became all too real for a Providence woman, who revived a stranger, who overdosed in front of her home.

Karen Kaplan found the man slumped over on his steering wheel in his truck.

She went in her house and grabbed Narcan to administer to him.

“What if I hadn’t of been there? What if I hadn’t of known what to do? What if I didn’t have the Narcan?” Kaplan said.

She said that was why health officials were urging everyone to carry Narcan.

According to the state’s department of health, from January through June of this year, there were more overdose deaths, each month, when compared with 2019. This past April saw the biggest increase with 12 more overdose deaths than 2019.