Man suffering overdose saved by Lake County sergeant

A Lake County Sheriff's sergeant saved a 20-year-old man suffering from an apparent opioid overdose Friday night in Warren Township, authorities said Sunday.

Sgt. Robb Briggs pulled over about 9:25 p.m. to help who he thought was a stranded motorist near Route 45 and Rollins Road, according to the sheriff's office. As he approached the vehicle, he found the male passenger unconscious and not breathing.

Briggs administered a dose of the anti-opiate naloxone and performed CPR until the man regained consciousness, police said. He was taken to the hospital for his overdose symptoms and is expected to survive.

The man was the second opioid overdose victim to be saved by Lake County officials in less than 48 hours, Sheriff Mark Curran said. On Thursday afternoon, Lake County jail guards saved a North Chicago woman who collapsed shortly after turning herself in on charges of possession of a controlled substance.

"As I've said many times, we are in an opioid epidemic and need the public's help to put an end to the crisis," Curran said.