Doctor says Kyle Busch's death was 'totally preventable' as he details how protocol was ignored
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
A sports medicine doctor has spoken out about the tragic death of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch, saying it was 'totally preventable'.
Busch was just 41 when he died on May 21, leaving behind his wife and three children. It has since been revealed that he died after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia, which led to sepsis, causing 'overwhelming complications'.
Just weeks before his death, Busch reportedly called on the team doctors for a 'shot' during a NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen due to him feeling unwell from a suspected sinus infection. He later told reporters he was suffering from a 'substantial' cough.
A 911 call from the General Motors training facility obtained by NBC described Busch as lying on a bathroom floor 'coughing up some blood'.
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Sports injuries specialist Dr Jesse Morse has said that Busch's ailment was likely a case of 'walking pneumonia', which he said could linger for weeks. He also suggested that his passing was a 'totally preventable situation'.
Speaking in a video posted to X on May 24, the doctor said: "It sounds like he suffered a sinus infection. About two-ish weeks ago that he was dealing with in that initial race when he called in.
"But that sinus infection somehow evolved to become pneumonia, and that pneumonia eventually progressed to what is called sepsis, and then eventually that is what killed him.
"So the shot he was asking for was probably either a cortisone shot to help him with the pain, the inflammation, the coughing, or maybe a shot of antibiotics."
Despite seemingly feeling symptoms earlier in the month, Busch continued his rigorous activities as a professional NASCAR driver, even going on to win a race the following week, which Morse called 'nothing short of extraordinary'.
After winning the race, Busch told press: "You take whatever you can get, man. You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all - trust me."
Dr Morse added that the incredible 'stress and trauma' NASCAR racers go through is something that could only be handled by a 'very healthy human', both 'mentally and physically'.
NASCAR racers have to withstand a heavy 2.5G of gravity as they race around the track.
Dr Morse continued by saying that clearly, that shot wasn't enough, and it was time to introduce IV antibiotics, adding that Busch's strong 'body and mind' might have been a block to him getting the treatment he needed.
"Unfortunately stubbornness and determination, alongside the lack of medical guidance prevented him from getting the care he needed, the IV antibiotics he needed in a hospital setting to monitor his vitals.
"This would have prevented the pneumonia from interacting with the bloodstream and becoming rampant throughout the whole body."
He added that this would have led to the blood clots, then the vomiting of blood, and eventually his death.
"A healthy 41-year-old elite athlete does not normally die from a simple pneumonia. There were several things that were missed here," Dr Morse continued.
"Now, is there a possibility that if he was placed into the hospital and put on IV antibiotics, this was preventable? 100%.
"This was preventable, and that's what makes this so sad. Not only was he a great driver, husband, friend, father, but now he's just a sad story."
The doctor also suggested that one of the contributing factors to the blood clots he experienced could have been the Covid-19 vaccine.
Dr Morse questioned: "Is there a possibility that he had the COVID vaccine and that increased his chance of developing a blood clot, which led to to the vomiting, the hemoptysis we call it, of blood, which then caused a significant embolism in his lung, allowing the infection to continue to muster and, and then significantly worsen, causing his death?"
While some Covid-19 vaccines are associated with an extremely rare risk of blood clots, research says Covid-19 infection presents a significantly higher risk of clotting than the vaccination does.
Extensive studies from organizations such as National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) confirm that the risk of arterial and venous blood clots is markedly higher following infection, especially within the first week
Richard Childress Racing has been approached by UNILAD for comment.