Blink-182's Travis Barker is having one helluva year: It all began back in June, when the famed drummer was admitted to the hospital for blood clots in his arms, which forced the postponement of the San Diego pop-punk band’s first scheduled 2018 residency shows at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.
After being diagnosed, treated and released, he was again admitted to the hospital a few days later with further complications stemming from a staph infection. Even more residency shows were canceled.
Just a couple weeks later, Barker was involved in a car accident while driving in Calabasas, California. As we reported in July, a school bus allegedly ran a red light, made an illegal left turn, and crashed into Barker's Mercedes SUV on July 13 -- which was also carrying his teenage son and a friend. Luckily, all of the passengers escaped mostly unscathed, although Barker was spotted at an LA event the next day wearing a wrist brace.
However, that wasn't the end of Barker's series of unfortunate events: On Sept. 6, the band announced the cancellation of its fall tour and its Sept. 15 headlining Riot Fest performance in Chicago this past weekend due to the drummer's ongoing health issues.
“The past few months have just sucked as I have been sidelined just waiting for my doctors to clear me so I could get back on the road and perform with my band," Barker said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the risks associated with drumming are still too great. I am doing everything I need to do so I can get back on the road as soon as possible. I want to thank my fans, family, friends and bandmates for all the love and support."
Now, as if all that wasn't enough, Barker is taking legal action with not one, but two, lawsuits.
The Blink-182 drummer has filed legal action against Medical Imaging Center in Santa Monica, California, for medical malpractice. Barker received a routine MRI at the center after being diagnosed with blood clots. According to a recent TMZ report, Barker alleges in the lawsuit that he was to be sedated before the MRI procedure but technicians were unable to find a vein and stuck him at least 40 times in the arms with a dirty needle -- causing him to suffer nerve damage and develop a staph infection.
Additionally, Barker filed a lawsuit against the school bus company and the driver who crashed into his vehicle on July 13. Barker's 14-year-old son, who was in the vehicle at the time of the crash, is also part of the lawsuit. As of now, Barker has not specificed the damages he is seeking.
At the time of this article's publication, the school bus company and Medical Imaging Center have yet to comment on the lawsuits' claims.
