Well-known Englewood race driver Richard Burton is in critical condition at Swedish Medical Center after being struck by lightning on Wednesday afternoon.
Burton was on his bicycle in the 3100 block of South Acoma Street when he was hit.
According to Julie Lonborg, spokesperson for Swedish, Burton’s family said he had decided to hop on his bike and check out an emergency incident near his home.
Lonborg said that as Burton neared the scene, he was struck by lightning.
Paramedics at the first incident saw Burton get hit and go into cardiac arrest, and they immediately went to his aid.
Burton was taken to Swedish Medical Center, where he is currently receiving treatment known as post-arrest hypothermia, which cools the body for 24 hours. It is used to reduce damage from cardiac arrest, stroke, brain injury, fever and other critical conditions.
After the cooling, the patient is slowly rewarmed.
Through the hospital, the family thanked the community — especially the racing community at Colorado National Speedway in Dacono — for their thoughts and prayers.
Because Burton is in critical condition, visitation is limited, and flowers are not allowed.
Over the years, Burton has been described as one of the most popular racers at Colorado National Speedway. His popularity among fans at the speedway is described as similar to that enjoyed by Dale Jarrett and the late Dale Earnhardt at tradition-rich, stock-car cities such as Daytona, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; and Bristol, Tenn.
Burton is known as “The Rock” in racing circles. RacingWest website reports that he won the Snap-On Tools Pro Truck Main Event in May at Colorado National Speedway.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
