September 24, 2008

Travis Barker, DJ AM Escaped Crash By Sliding Down Plane's Wing: Police

By Chris Harris (MTV.com)

One of the first emergency personnel to arrive at the scene of the plane crash that killed four people and seriously injured Travis Barker and DJ AM has spoken with People.com about the accident.

Lieutenant Josh Shumpert of the South Congaree, South Carolina, police department, one of the first people to arrive at the crash scene in nearby Columbia, described Barker and AM's escape.

"[The two] told me that they slid down the wing on the right side of the plane," he said. "They said they were on fire, and that they tackled each other and put each other out.

"When I got there they were on the side of the road," he continued. "They were pacing and in shock. Travis was very shaken up."

He added that Barker was given Gatorade after he asked for water.

"Travis was wearing some kind of shorts and no shirt," Shumpert said, adding that Goldstein was wearing shorts or boxers as well. "Travis had one sock on. And a black hat on his head."

Killed in the crash were Barker's assistant, Chris Baker; his security guard, Charles Still; and Sarah Lemmon and James Bland, the plane's pilot and co-pilot. Barker's clothing company, Famous Stars and Straps, has established a memorial fund for the families of Baker and Still.

Federal investigators are investigating the possibility that a blown tire could have contributed to the jet crash. Investigators have found evidence that one of the jet's tires may have blown moments before takeoff at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Audio from the jet's cockpit voice recorder indicates the pilot and co-pilot informed air-traffic controllers they'd heard a tire burst and tried to abort the takeoff.

Doctors from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, said Sunday that Barker and AM are expected to recover fully from their injuries.