• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Race Car Driver Recovering From Lightning Strike

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +    Comments
Nov 5, 2009 6:33 am US/Mountain

Race Car Driver Recovering From Lightning Strike

Reporting
Raj Chohan
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) ― Nearly two months after he was struck by lightning a Colorado race car driver is making a remarkable recovery.

It was early September when Richard Burton heard about a car accident near his Englewood home and got on his bicycle to see if he could help. While riding to the scene a lightning bolt knocked him out and stopped his heart.

Neighbors nearby found him and called for help.

"Some girls called 911 right away. They smelled something burning -- which happened to be me," Burton told CBS4 reporter Raj Chohan.

Paramedics were just down the street and responded immediately. They tried two times to shock Burton's heart back into beating, but those attempts didn't work.

"The lady paramedic said 'We're going to do it one more time,' and they did and she said 'I've got a little pulse,' and that's what saved me was one more time," Burton said.

Burton has no memory of the day of the strike, but he does remember waking up in the hospital after being in a coma.

"I kept hearing a voice -- which I think was my wife -- saying 'Do you know what happened? You've been struck by lightning,'" he said.

When Burton first came out of his coma he couldn't talk and could barely move. Doctors determined he had a serious brain injury.

Since being struck, Burton has been a hard worker in physical therapy at Craig Hospital. He has started walking again and is now working on improving his speech and his reaction time. He says his goal is to get back to race car driving.

Burton is a legend in Colorado racing circles. At the Colorado National Speedway, where he goes by the nickname "The Rock," Burton has won several championships. The family passion has even rubbed off on his grandson Matt, a racer himself.

"He's been my biggest fan, he's been the voice in my ear. He's been my hero, is what he's been to me," Matt told CBS4.

Burton says his grandson is inspiring him to push hard in his rehabilitation..

"The opportunity to race with my grandson? Not too many people get that. That's just made the want more," Burton said.

Burton will have surgery on Thursday. If all goes well, he should be back home by Thanksgiving.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Curious & Controversial News

Add Comment

here. here. Need a log in? Register here
  •  * Will not be displayed with comment
  •  * e.g. (http://www.mywebsite.com)
  •  
  • Click here to refresh with new letters

Show Comments (0)

Close Window Login


Close Window Flag Comment


loading...
You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Colorado & Denver News

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Television Stations Inc. All Rights Reserved.