If you or someone you love follows NASCAR, you’ve probably been following the weirdness around Kyle Busch and his passing last week. Busch, 41, was a legendary NASCAR driver, well-liked and well-sponsored. He passed away last Thursday. While his family said he had been sick recently, he was out and about and training up to one day before his death. Conspiracies began popping up quickly about what was ailing Busch and what was really going on. The Busch family either asked for an autopsy or some kind of postmortem investigation, and by Saturday, the family released the information about how a 41-year-old man in good health could collapse on Wednesday and die on Thursday. He died from severe pneumonia and sepsis.
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch died from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, according to a statement provided by the Busch family.
Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release that the family received the medical evaluation Saturday.
“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,” the Busch family statement read. “The Family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time.”
Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator. His family said earlier that he had been hospitalized with a “severe illness” days before he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Busch was testing in the racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. Busch experienced shortness of breath, felt he was overheating and was coughing up blood the day before his death, according to a 911 call obtained Friday by ABC.
During the emergency call placed late Wednesday afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s [got] shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”
The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.
Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens such as bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.
Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed his team saying he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race. However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend and finished 17th in the All-Star Race on Sunday.
This is really horrible, and a reminder that pneumonia is no joke. It sounds like as soon as he started coughing up blood, he was immediately hospitalized. But what were the signs before then? How much of this was a guy who just thought he was toughing out a cold or sinus infection? I imagine the shot was either vitamins or some kind of steroid? Anyway, his poor family. He had a wife and two kids, a boy and a girl. Devastating.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Instagram.
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- -Las Vegas, NV -20181129 2018 NASCAR Awards. -PICTURED: Kyle Busch -PHOTO by: startraksphoto.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Startraks Photo for licensing fee and rights information at sales@startraksphoto.com or call +1 212 414 9464 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing Featuring: Kyle Busch Where: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States When: 29 Nov 2018 Credit: startraksphoto.com
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- , Nashville, TN – 20191205 2019 NASCAR Champions Week Awards. -PICTURED: Kyle Busch, Samantha Busch and Son Brexton -PHOTO by: SOL TUCKER/INSTARimages.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Kyle Busch, Samantha Busch and Son Brexton Where: Nashville, Tennessee, United States When: 05 Dec 2019 Credit: SOL TUCKER/INSTARimages.com
Very sad for the whole family. RIP.
This happened to my aunt many years ago—everything goes downhill very quickly—you don’t realize how sick you are until it’s too late.
This is so sad and probably 💯 avoidable with proper medical care and treatment. Yes, sepsis can come on very fast but it sounds like the underlying illness was pneumonia which could have been treated. Apparently, the “doctor” that he requested was a physician assistant, not an MD. There are so many unanswered questions here such as why was he prescribing his own treatment, “a shot”, two weeks before his death. We’ll only get answers if a wrongful death suit is filed. Anyone who has family members on this circuit should be demanding answers.
His widow and two young kids were at the race the yesterday while they did a tribute and played Amazing Grace on bagpipes. It was heartbreaking watching them. They are so young.
Someone I know had been sick for a few days, after high fever bursts decided to go to the hospital and she was carted straight into the operating theatre as the inflammation numbers were dangerously high. It was sepsis and thank god they went that night & that doctors were able to help
I’ve been through this myself, and it’s terrifying. I was tired and had a bit of a cough for about a week, but I’m always catching bronchitis and other relatively minor illnesses (I’m immunocompromised), so I didn’t think much of it. Then one day I woke up after a nap and it suddenly felt like something much worse, though I still didn’t think it was bad enough to go to the hospital. Thankfully, at the time I still lived with my dad and stepmom, an ER doctor, and she insisted. I ended up in the ICU for a week, and another 2 weeks in a regular room (and the meds caused kidney failure, so I also had to have dialysis for a couple months afterwards).
Pneumonia is not to be f–ked with, and any respiratory illness is no time to try and be stoic. Looking at you, MEN! At the very least, you need to rest, and not attempt athletic feats (and driving any race car is much more physically demanding than many think). This is so tragic, and likely could’ve been prevented by just listening to his body. God, his poor wife and kids.