BELFAST — The teenage driver pulled from her vehicle by good Samaritans following an April 23 crash has been charged by Belfast Police following her recovery.

The Searsport teen was pulled from her car after slamming into another driver, who was waiting to turn onto Route 1 by the bridge spanning the Passagassawaukeag River in Belfast. Bystanders mistook airbag powder for smoke, and pulled her from the vehicle.

While it was initially reported that bystanders performed CPR after realizing the driver didn’t have a pulse, Sergeant John Gibbs, of the Belfast Police Department, said it was after his arrival at the scene that the girl stopped breathing and required CPR. 

The other driver was treated at Waldo County General Hospital and released the same night. 

The charges included operating under the influence of inhalants, abuse of inhalants and driving without a license.

The crash brought attention a larger issue that has Sergeant Gibbs concerned.

"Access to inhalants are in more places than you realize,” he said.

Blow Off, the brand of computer cleaner allegedly used by the teen driver just before last month’s crash, has clear warnings on the bottle of the potential consequences of inhaling the product, including "frostbite and freezing in the lungs," he said.

"Some [inhalants] are believed by users to just give you a buzz, but none of them are safe," said Gibbs.

There are five categories of inhalant, which are organized by their intended purpose and vary from gasoline and aerosol whipped cream cans to cooking spray.

Many commonly abused products, including Blow Off, include a bitterant designed to dissuade would-be abusers by adding a bitter taste to the products.

Children and teens often don't realize the serious danger they're putting themselves in, said Gibbs.

"[The teen driver involved in April's crash] said she thought it was a harmless high and didn’t realize how dangerous it was,” Gibbs said, “she took a hit of [Blow Off] and that’s the last thing she remembers.”

All inhalants are dangerous to ingest, according to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, which warns: If you sniff to get high, you're inhaling poisons that do definite damage. So stop. Before your heart does.

“She is thankful for her rescue and humbled by the experience,” said Gibbs.

The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition advises parents to educate themselves and find out about inhalants before their children do, noting by eight grade one in five will have used inhalants. In Maine, 8.6 percent of high-schoolers admitted abusing inhalants.

As if the risks of abuse, including headache, nausea, damage to heart, kidneys and tremors, aren't frightening enough, there is also an ever-present risk of Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. The syndrome means it doesn't matter whether it's the first time you've abused inhalants or the 100th – it could still be your last.

There are fact sheets available to parents on the Maine Inhalant Abuse Prevention site, as well as alternatives to commonly abused inhalants and tips for talking to children and teens, such as using "teachable moments" to educate them about the toxic and dangerous nature of many common household products.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com