Travis Barker is suing the company who owned the Lear Jet that crashed in Columbia, South Carolina back in September, and from which he and DJ AM, aka Adam Goldstein, had a very fortunate escape.
The former Blink 182 man has brought his action against the owners Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co and an aeroplane maintenance company for $25k in damages for pain and suffering, disfigurement, loss of earnings plus medical and legal expenses. Thelma Martin Still, mother of Barker's late bodyguard Charles Still, who was killed in the crash, has joined the suit.
The suit claims that the pilots were at fault, saying that they "negligently decided to abort" take-off, and adding: "The pilots were either poorly trained and/or failed to follow their training. The pilots' decision was a breach of their duty owed to the passengers on board and was a substantial factor in causing the crash and resultant injuries and deaths." It also alleges that at least one tyre on the plane failed, and that they, as well as the craft's wheels, landing gear, breaks, reverse thrust system and squat switches "were not airworthy".
As previously reported, the aforementioned Still and Barker's assistant Chris Baker were killed in the incident, along with pilot Sarah Lemmon and co-pilot James Bland. The jet got into difficulty on take-off, crashing onto a nearby road.