PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
A 6-year-old was taken to the hospital Thursday for a possible methadone overdose, according to police.
Police and paramedics got a call at about 11 a.m. Thursday that a child had stopped breathing on the 4400 block of Southeast Knapp Street. The child was rushed to Doernbecher Hospital.
Relatives of the family said the boy is expected to recover.
Neighbors said the boy was living with his parents in a trailer parked on a good Samaritan's driveway on the street. When police got to the scene, the parents said the boy may have accidentally taken methadone belonging to one of them - a recovering heroin addict.
The homeowner declined to comment, but at about 6:30 p.m., relatives of the little boy came to start gathering their things, emptying the trailer. The homeowners had just wanted to be good Christians, allowing the recovering drug addicts to stay on their property, according to neighbors.
Doctors at Doernbecher Children's Hospital say this type of overdose is a weekly occurrence.
"There aren't any long-term side effects other than, potentially, the chaotic environment that led to accidental ingestion," said Dr. Garth Meckler.
Methadone is a regulated narcotic used to help heroin addicts during withdrawals. It stays in the body for up to 56 hours, according to Meckler, who has treated recovering children.
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