Another Lawsuit in Travis Barker & DJ AM Plane Crash

Widow of Travis Barker's assistant sues copilots and aviation companies for negligence in husband's death

By Gina Serpe Dec 10, 2008 4:05 PMTags
DJ AM, Travis Barker plane crashAP Photo

The widow of Travis Barker's assistant is seeking closure—and restitution—everywhere she can find it as a result of her husband's fatal September plane crash.

Otilia Villar Baker, the wife of longtime Barker P.A. Chris Baker, filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday on behalf of herself and son Sebastian against a host of aviation companies responsible for the downed Learjet, as well as the estates of the aircraft's two pilots, both of whom also perished in the Sept. 19 crash.

Baker is seeking unspecified but presumably significant damages for the pain and anguish suffered by her husband immediately preceding his death, which the complaint claims was "not immediate," as well as loss of earning, companionship and repayment of funeral costs.

Per the suit, Otilia Baker says Chris suffered "severe pre- and post-impact injury, damage to property, pain, suffering and emotional distress, and ultimately died due to fatal injuries sustained from said crash including but not limited to the post-impact fire."

Baker claims the pilots were negligent in failing to abort the doomed takeoff.

She also named Clay Lacy Aviation, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Bombardier Inc., Global Exec Aviation and Inter Travel + Services in the lawsuit, saying each company played a part in the South Carolina crash.

Just last month, Barker, who with DJ AM survived the crash, filed a near-identical suit. Barker, however, did not name the late copilots' estates in his suit, instead seeking recompense against the companies only for what he deemed a "defective" aircraft.