PORTLAND, Ore. — A man died on the MAX train late Wednesday night after an apparent overdose, though he was given Narcan several times by a passenger before first responders arrived.
Just before 11 p.m., Tanaz Polson was on the MAX Red line, heading home from work at the airport, when she saw a man unconscious a few seats away from her.
“I walk over, and I see a man who was purple, slumped over with a syringe in his arm, completely unresponsive, so I grabbed the Narcan and put one dose in his nose while holding his head up,” she recalled.
She gave him four doses before first responders started CPR. It was the second time Polson had administered Narcan to someone on the MAX train.
“I’m a bartender. I’m not an emergency room doctor. I’m not a nurse, not a trained field medic,” Polson said.
The man died at the scene. TriMet said the cause of death has not yet been released, but that drug paraphernalia was found next to him.
Some believe it’s a sign of drug use on public transit becoming all too common in Portland.
“For that to happen is not surprising in the least,” said Tyler, who rides the MAX every day to work from Northeast Portland to downtown.
“It's public transportation, and the drug use is so rampant here; all the train operators and bus drivers should be carrying Narcan,” added Willma Broyles, who also rides the MAX train.
"We do not keep Narcan on board our buses and trains as our operators are focused on safely transporting riders throughout the Portland metro area and are not trained on administering Narcan," a TriMet spokesperson told KGW in a statement. "All TriMet vehicles are equipped with radio and computer systems that allow an operator to contact our Operations Command Center and receive prompt assistance from trained personnel in case of an incident."
“I don't think it's good because it's going to be more deaths,” responded Tasha Powell, who rides the MAX train often.
“I think it's a waste of potential, and I think it could be really helpful a lot of the times,” added Tyler.
TriMet tells KGW in a statement since 2022 they have more than doubled their security staff. Transit police and the TriMet Safety Response Team both carry Narcan, but the drivers do not.
Riders aren't sold on if that goes far enough given Portland's drug use and overdose crisis.
“I’ve seen people with foils sitting back smoking... whatever they're smoking,” Powell said.
“It makes me feel like very unsafe to be riding public transportation,” added Brandi, another MAX rider.
“I think that TriMet needs to step up their game,” Polson said.
A TriMet spokesperson says they actively supported the passage of a new state law that prohibits the use of drugs on transit vehicles and appreciate the effort behind other legislation that takes effect Sept. 1, 2024, which makes illicit drug possession a misdemeanor. Over the coming months, they will be educating riders about the new laws around drug use and possession.