Travis Barker thankful to be alive after jet crash

[October 08, 2008]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, who always has been afraid of flying, says he's glad to be alive after suffering severe burns in a fiery plane crash last month.

"I hate planes," Barker said in an interview with Us Weekly magazine. "My biggest fear ever is to be involved in a plane crash, so when that happened ... well, I'm just thankful to be alive! I'm just grateful to be here at all."

The 32-year-old musician and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM were the only survivors of the crash just before midnight Sept. 19 at the main airport in Columbia, S.C. Two pilots and two other passengers were killed, including Barker's assistant Chris Baker.

Barker was released from a Georgia hospital last week and is now being treated at a burn center in Los Angeles. He said he was too afraid to fly cross-country, so he arranged to travel by bus with his father and ex-wife Shanna Moakler to keep him company.

"I am doing the best I can possibly be," he said in the magazine's latest issue. "I'm so anxious to get out of here. ... I've just been in surgery after surgery. I have third-degree burns basically from my feet up to my waist and both hands. One of my hands has second-degree burns and one has third-degree burns."

"I'm trying to have a quick recovery and play the drums again and be able to hold my kids again," said Barker, who has two children, Landon, 5, and Alabama, 2, with Moakler.

If all goes well, Barker expects to leave the hospital within two weeks.

DJ AM (real name: Adam Goldstein) was recently released from the hospital, too. Doctors have said they expect both men to fully recover.

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board have said a cockpit voice recorder revealed that crew members thought a tire blew out and tried to abort the takeoff.

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Us Weekly magazine:
http://www.usmagazine.com/

[Associated Press]

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