Updates on Plane Crash Involving Travis Barker and DJ AM
Nathanael Jones
Since the devastating plane crash involving a private Learjet occurred in South Carolina’s Columbia Airport Friday night, fans of Travis Barker and DJ AM have been anxiously awaiting to hear on the status of their conditions. Following the crash, Travivs and DJ AM were taken to a burn unit in Augusta, Georgia in critical condition. As it stands now, both rockers are doing very well and doctors on the case state that considering both Barker and DJ AM were in good health to begin with, and did not suffer any additional crash related complications, a full recovery is expected for both of them. With significant burn injuries, doctors say that a full recovery for both rockers could take up to a year, but given their health, recovery is expected much earlier. Travis has suffered severe burns on his torso as well as his lower body, and DJ AM experienced burns on his arm and on a portion of his head. Both of the guys are still listed as critical and remain in the Intensive Care Unit, however, their condition has stabilized and they are doing as well as can be hoped for. As far as their emotional state is concerned, doctors report that 45% of all burn victims experience emotional distress, and when you add a plane crash on top of that, distress and trauma is to be expected. On Saturday morning, Shanna Moakler, Travis’ ex-wife and mother of his two young children, flew to his side to assist him during his recovery. The plane crash involved a total of six people on flight, and these names have since been released. The six people on the plane were pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31; co-pilot James Bland, 52, security guard Charles Still, 25, Travis’s assistant Chris Baker, 29; and of course Travis Barker and DJ AM. Since the crash, rumors have circulated that the group had taken the private Learjet upon hearing that Travis’s assistant Chris had just received news that his wife was going into labor. Travis does not normally fly in private planes, but it was said that this emergency situation led him to make an exception for his assistant Chris Baker. It has been confirmed that Chris Baker’s wife is pregnant, and that he is survived by one other very small child, but there is no confirmation as to whether that was the cause of them taking the private jet to begin with. As far as the crash itself is concerned, the crash is still under investigation, though reports from air traffic control indicate that some sparks were seen coming from the runway upon takeoff, and that the plane itself overran the airstrip and ran into a number of airport lights and antenna. Investigators are not sure if the sparks were from the engines or from the aircraft itself. It has been said that DJ AM and Travis are the only survivors due to the fact that they jumped out of the door of the burning plane almost immediately after the private jet came to a halt. Our deepest sympathies go to those that lost loved ones in this horrific incident, and our best wishes to Travis, DJ AM, and their families that the two will experience a swift and full recovery.
