A judge approved a multimillion-dollar legal settlement Tuesdayinvolving the wife and young son of former Blink 182 drummer TravisBarker’s assistant, who was killed in a 2008 plane crash in SouthCarolina.
The settlement with Learjet inc., Goodyear Tire & Rubber co.and other companies involved in the ownership, operation and makingof the jet will pay for college for Chris Baker’s 3-year-old sonand establish an annuity giving him more than $17 million over hislifetime.
It also will pay Baker’s widow more than $7.6 million.
Otilia Baker and her son attended the brief hearing before LosAngeles County Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel.
Strobel said the settlement was in the best interest of theyoungster, who rested his chin on a chair while his mother andtheir attorney, Brian Panish, spoke with the judge.
“It’s a very sad case, but we’re glad they were able to avoid atrial and receive full compensation,” Panish said after thehearing.
Baker was killed in a plane crash in Columbia, S.C., inSeptember 2008. the crash killed four people and left Barker andcelebrity disc jockey DJ AM seriously injured. DJ AM later died ofa drug overdose.
Barker and the estate of DJ AM have settled their casesinvolving the crash for undisclosed terms. the details of thesettlement with Baker’s family required a judge’s approval becauseit involved a child.
Federal investigators have yet to determine the cause of thecrash but said the plane’s reverse thrusters _ devices on the backof jet engines that divert their thrust forward to help slow theplane or force it backward _ were not in the right position.
The pilots were trying to abort takeoff at the ColumbiaMetropolitan Airport when the accident happened.
(This version CORRECTS to Barker sted Baker in graf 8. )
Judge OKs settlement in deadly Lear jet crash