Travis Barker, former drummer for all American punk trio supergroup Blink-182, was rushed to a hospital on Friday after he suffered from burns in a plane crash in West Columbia, South Carolina. Barker was scheduled to fly into Van Nuys, California, when the Learjet he was aboard crashed into a road soon after taking off. Disc Jockey DJ AM, who performs with Travis Barker under the name TRVSDJ-AM, was also on board, as were two other passengers. Although Barker and DJ AM (real name Adam Goldstein) survived the crash with second- and third-degree burns, the two other passengers died, as did the pilot and the co-pilot.
Medical director of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center, Dr. Fred Mullins, said that the two performers are in critical condition, but also noted that, “Anybody who can survive a plane crash is pretty lucky.” Barker had burns on his torso and lower body whereas Goldstein had burns on his head and hands. Mullins reported that it could take up to a year for the two to fully heal.
One William Owens, a witness of the crash, stated that he had been driving when he saw a fireball streak across the highway. As he got closer to the burning scene he saw Barker and Goldstein trying to remove their burning clothes: “I noticed two guys who were on fire and it looked like a dance: They didn't know what to do.”
Global Exec Aviation, the charter company that owned the plane, is cooperating with investigators to find out what caused the fiery crash.
Travis Barker and DJ AM had been in Columbia to perform in a free concert for thousands of college students at the University of South Carolina. Barker, only 32, has already achieved world-wide fame for being an innovative drummer with a wide range of playing styles and involvement in different kinds of music including punk, pop, and hip-hop. He is one of the most sought-after drummers in the world right now and currently half of the rhythm section of alternative rock band +44 with former Blink-182 bandmate, Mark Hoppus.