Mother Says 5-Year-Old Given Wrong Drug In Ambulance

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A local mother is urging parents to keep a close watch on their children's medical treatment after she said her 5-year-old was accidentally given the wrong drug in an ambulance.

Jackie Carpenter, of Steubenville, said her daughter Kayleigh suffered a seizure in at Wayne Elementary School on Wednesday, something that never happened before.

Her daughter began to feel ill, then in "10 to 15 minutes she started having seizures and fell to the ground."

Unionport EMS rushed Kayleigh to Trinity Medical Center, then the child was airlifted by medical helicopter to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. It was there when Carpenter learned of a big mistake.

"Children's Hospital came to us and said that we had to talk. That there were mistakes made. That my daughter, when she was seizing, the EMT meant to give her Valium and instead they gave her Narcan instead," Carpenter said.

Narcan is a drug given to a person who is overdosing on opioids like heroin or methadone.

Carpenter said the EMT told her the mix-up was an accident.

"He said he reached back and picked up the right bottle, did something else, and then when he turned back around, he picked up the Narcan because it is similar looking," she said.

Carpenter said her daughter is home and it is not yet known if the child might suffer any long-term effects. She said all parents should demand information before their children are administered drugs. Further, she said changes should be made in the way drugs are stored in ambulances.

"They need to be clearly labeled and different colors so this doesn't ever happen," she said.

Carpenter said she credits teachers at Wayne Elementary for their quick response calling 911. Officials at Unionport EMS and Trinity Health System said they could not comment due to HIPPA laws.