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At Whit's End: Lucky to survive
a plane crash
By Whitney Schulte
September 24, 2008 | "Anybody who can survive a plane
crash is pretty lucky," said Dr.
Fred Mullins of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center.
The doctor was talking about Travis Barker, former drummer
for Blink 182, and Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM.
The two were involved in a fatal plane crash Saturday
in South Carolina. The small Learjet they had chartered
was attempting to take off when a
tire apparently blew out. The plane was said to
have been traveling at least 90 mph and the crew only
had a split second to decide whether to abort the flight.
The recording from the plane indicates that the attempt
to get off the ground had not been successful, causing
the plane to roll off the runway, across a highway and
into an embankment.
One of the first men to the scene, South Carolina
resident William Owens, said of the fireball he saw
race across the highway, "I didn't know what I had seen
-- it was maybe 800 feet in front of me, but as I approached
it closer though I made out a fire. By then I was able
to see the tail of the jet and I recognized it as a
jet."
Owens also commented that Barker and Goldstein were
running around on the side of the road stripping to
extinguish themselves from the flames. They told Owens
four more passengers were on board. Owens said,
"We turned to the jet to try and see if there was anything
we could do, but immediately, there was nothing anyone
could do."
The plane crash killed the other four people on board
the Learjet.
The crash has shaken up the tight-knit celebrity community.
Barker's ex-wife, Shanna Moakler, has flown to the burn
center to be by his side during treatment. In
a statement, she says, "There are not enough words
to express how thankful we are for the outpouring of
love and support we have received during this very difficult
time. We can only ask for prayers as we heal and mourn
the loss of our dear friends who we considered part
of our family. Our lives will be changed forever."
DJ AM's former fiance, Nicole Richie, reportedly broke
down when she heard the news about Goldstein's plane
crash. Mandy Moore, pop princess and another Goldstein
fling, also flew to be with her ex while he received
treatment for the burns.
Other than the burns, Barker and Goldstein are overall
in gold health and expected to make a full recovery.
MS
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