DJ AM Recounts Plane Crash
Martin Grimes
For the first time since the plane crash that severely injured Travis Barker and DJ AM and killed four passengers, DJ AM has come public with details surrounding the crash and in describing the chain of events and how he handled the entire situation. DJ discusses how the night started with him falling asleep on the plane after their gig in South Carolina. He was asleep on the runway and then the you know what hit the fan as he recounted to People Magazine:
The next thing I remember is us crashing into something. I woke up to (fellow survivor Travis Barker) screaming and the plane engulfed in flames. I remember thinking it was like ‘Miami Vice,’ where a car is on fire and you run before the gas tank explodes – we gotta get out of here!
When they realized they needed to jump out, they did, and DJ AM says he had to jump through a fireball to rush out of the plane. They stopped, dropped, and rolled, but still Barker remained engulfed in flames. DJ tried to save him by smothering Travis with his own body, and says that some of his own injuries and burns came from doing that. Travis’s sock was on fire he remembers, and DJ burned his fingers trying to take it off of him. As we know, DJ and Travis were treated at the Augusta Burn Unit and he says the days following he didn’t want anyone to look at him, and in fact, says they probably didn’t want to anyway. He describes the bandages like they were a ski mask but was so traumatized by the whole thing, it didn’t occur to him at first that he may have ended up scarred for life. When he first came to clarity and consciousness on the situation, he wanted to know first about the other passengers, but said in his heart, he already knew their fate and that they had died on impact. But he says that was almost a relief to him, as then, they wouldn’t have suffered any pain. On top of these struggles, DJ AM is a recovering addict and has been for ten years, and is considering intensive one on one therapy to help him get through this, and to get a diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder. But at the end of the day, it is nothing but gratitude that inspires from this man.
I can’t believe I made it. I’ve prayed every night for the past 10 years. There’s a lot more to thank God for now. … I was saved for a reason. Maybe I’m going to help someone else. I don’t question it. All I know is I’m thankful to be here.
And of course, we are thankful as well. And I am sure this is not the last we will hear from either Travis or DJ AM, and undoubtedly, they will put their inspiration to help others. We look forward to seeing that unfold.
