'I was scared to death': Man pricked by a used syringe in Sheetz bathroom
A trip to a gas station bathroom sent a Virginia man to the hospital on after he said he got pricked by a used needle.
The first thing I thought of was that I'm going to end up with a disease. I was scared to death because of the possibility of what the person may have had," said Marvin Barnett, of Lynchburg.
What started as a normal morning pitstop for Barnett, ended in an hours-long stay at the hospital.
He said he stopped in Sheetz on Lakeside Drive in Lynchburg for a bathroom break, but everything changed when he reached for a disposable toilet cover from the dispenser.
A syringe poked me in the finger, so I took all the paper out of there and the syringe fell to the bottom and there was a sock with some type of bowl in it, as well," Barnett said.
He said panic immediately set in, but that wasn't all.
I started shaking, so there had to be something in it to make me so jittery. I was scared it may have been fentanyl," said Barnett.
That's when he called the police and went to the hospital. They gave him a hepatitis shot, along with preventative HIV shots.
"It's just...it's bad," said Haley Evans, an epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health.
Evans said used needles can pose serious concerns. Not only could they carry blood-borne pathogens, but they could also have illicit drugs in them.
"It's everywhere. We're seeing it in Lynchburg and the surrounding areas. It's no longer a big city problem. It's a problem for everyone," she said.
She shared a warning, as well as advice, to keep the public safe.
Don't ever blindly reach for something. Do not reach for something that you can't see. Be wary. There are needles in public places."
A spokesperson with Sheetz sent the following statement to WSET regarding the incident:
“At Sheetz, the safety of our customers and employees is a top priority. We are in touch with the customer and police have conducted a thorough search of the bathroom to ensure it is safe for customers to use.”