Overdose Deaths Overwhelm Connecticut Medical Examiner's Office

Connecticut's Office of the Medical Examiner is among many similar offices in the country that is finding it hard to keep up with the surge in overdose deaths.

Connecticut's office is considering renting a refrigerated truck to store bodies as its storage area nears capacity, according to Fox 61.

There were 208 accidental intoxication deaths between January and March 2016, according to the office. The vast majority are opioid-related.

Related:

• CT Heroin Epidemic: Interactive Map of Deaths by Town
• Opioid Overdose Deaths on The Rise Once Again in Connecticut

If the current trend continues, it is estimated that 832 people will die of overdoses by the end of the year compared to 729 in 2015 and 568 in 2014.

One of the large drivers in the increase of opioid-related overdoses is the powerful drug fentanyl.

There were 83 deaths involving fentanyl between January and March, which would result in a projected total of 332 deaths. There were 188 deaths involving fentanyl in 2015 and 18 in 2012.

There has been an estimated 58 percent increase in autopsies over the past two years, according to the New Haven Register.

Meanwhile state budget cuts have caused the office to shift the burden of transport, storage and disposal of unclaimed bodies to municipalities. The issue has caused a row between the office and towns across the state, according to the Hartford Courant.

Some towns have asked the state's Attorney General's Office to interpret the law about who should be financially responsible. Generally there are less than 100 such cases a year.

Connecticut's office could potentially lose its accreditation with the National Association of Medical Examiners as individual pathologists risk going over the accreditation limit of 325 autopsies per year.

As of May the office had seven pathologists including Chief Medical Examiner James Gill. Gill, who has many administrative duties has also taken on a full autopsy load to keep up with the pace of deaths, according to the New Haven Register.