UPDATE 3/11/10: A $12 million settlement was reached in the wrongful death case brought by the surviving family members of Travis Barker, according to antimusic.com
Two lawsuits stemming from the September 2008 jet crash involving celebrities Adam Goldstein (a.k.a. DJ A.M.) and Travis Barker settled recently. The crash occurred at a Columbia, South Carolina (SC) airport and four people died as a result, according to People Magazine.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the Lear 60 jet carrying Mr. Goldstein and Mr. Barker, which was headed for California, started to send off sparks during takeoff. The jet crashed soon thereafter.
Here’s a video describing this terrible aviation accident…
The first lawsuit to settle was brought forth by the family of James Bland (the co-pilot) who was one of the four killed in the wreck. The family will receive $500,000.
The second lawsuit was brought forth by the family of Mr. Goldstein, who survived the jet crash but later died of an accidental drug overdose. The family’s attorneys argued that the injuries and trauma suffered from the crash drove Mr. Goldstein to become re-addicted to drugs, according to TMZ.com. The settlement terms were not revealed.
Some people have argued that the wrongful death settlement for Mr. Goldstein was unjustified because he died from an accidental drug overdose, not from injuries sustained from the jet crash. These people are mistaken. If it can be determined that trauma stemming from an accident causes pain and suffering along with a drop in the quality of life for a victim, our legal system provides the pursuit of damages.
In addition, the family of Mr. Goldstein can legitimately claim the accidental drug overdose stemmed from the jet crash since Mr. Goldstein suffered second-and-third-degree burns from the accident and was prescribed strong pain medication such as as Oxycodone and Vicodin, both of which were found in his system after an autopsy was conducted, according to the LA Times.