Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, his family says
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia turned into sepsis, leading to rapid and overwhelming complications, according to a statement released by his family.
Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said the family received a medical evaluation on Saturday.
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Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died Thursday at the age of 41, a day after he collapsed in a Chevrolet simulator.
A newly released 911 call linked to the NASCAR driver’s medical emergency and subsequent death stated that Kyle Busch was complaining of shortness of breath and coughing up blood.
According to audio from Cabarrus County Emergency Dispatch in North Carolina, a caller requested an ambulance to the GM Charlotte Technical Center on GM One Team Drive NW. The caller told officers that a person at the center was “very feverish,” having trouble breathing and “producing some blood.”
“I have a patient who is short of breath and has a very fever. He thinks he’s going to pass out and he’s producing some blood. He’s coughing up some blood,” the caller said.
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Listen to the 911 call below:
The caller confirmed that the sick person was awake but lying on the bathroom floor inside the facility. The caller also asked responding crews to turn off their sirens upon arrival and began giving instructions inside the building.
The 911 call came after an earlier call by The Associated Press Busch reportedly unresponsive while testing in Chevrolet racing simulator on Wednesday in Concord, North Carolina, and was later transported to a Charlotte hospital. The AP cited unnamed sources familiar with the situation because the details have not been made public.
*Nexstar’s WJZY and The Associated Press contributed to this report
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