Turbulence Sends Passengers to Hospital
I’ll never get tired of saying it. Wear your goddamn seat belt at all times when you’re at your seat, and here’s why.
You never know when your plane will hit turbulence. That’s exactly why they ask you to wear it at all times even if the sign is not illuminated. And yet, people don’t pay the slightest bit of attention.
Turbulence in Avianca flight, from Twitter
Well, an Aerolineas Argentinas flight today en route from Miami struck severe turbulent weather as it was nearing its destination in Buenos Aires. Here is the information the airline released today in connection with the incident:
Buenos Aires, October 18th. Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR 1303 from Miami to Buenos Aires encountered severe turbulence, resulting in 15 injured passengers, eight of which had to be taken to hospital for a more thorough medical examination.
The incident took place while at cruising altitude and was immediately reported by the pilot in charge of the aircraft. The airline made its medical staff available upon flight arrival to assist those passengers with injuries and concussions that may have been caused by the sudden movements such meteorological conditions tend to cause.
Once turbulence subsided, the crew assisted injured passengers and surveyed the health conditions of all 192 passengers.
Once landed, emergency medical services carried out their usual medical triage and provided the necessary health care to each of the affected passengers.
Turbulence, they explain, is caused when two masses of air at different temperature or traveling at different speeds meet. This can cause sudden drops or movements in aircraft, depending on their intensity, but in no way do they jeopardize the safety of the aircraft.
Having said that, you might remember earlier post showing really how intense these turbulences can get.
The event took place during lunch service, so you can imagine what that must have been like. If you don’t want to imagine, this is what the cabin looked like after it was all done:
Turbulence Aboard AR1303 from Clarin.com
Turbulence Aboard AR1303 from @HANGARX on Twitter
Turbulence Aboard AR1303 from @HANGARX on Twitter
Turbulence Aboard AR1303 from MSN.com
Turbulence Aboard AR1303 from MSN.com
Luckily it sounds like all the passengers are in good conditions, with the most severe injuries being small cuts. Some newspapers are also citing a report of a toddler suffering burns from coffee when the food cart partially overturned and spilled the hot beverage on the kid’s leg. Looks like the aircraft was the one that suffered the most, and it appears the plane will not be flying back to Miami tonight, presumably to undergo maintenance. We’re glad to hear no one was severely injured and they received proper medical care.
October 19, 2018
Nothing this severe, but I will never forget being over the Pacific heading for Hawaii when we hit turbulences to where the drinks on our trays jumped around. I was in First Class so I only had to be concerned with my drink. But, then the plane must have hit a pocket, because we took a big drop in altitude and that was when I started praying. I did have my seat belt on and am glad. This was around 1985, but I will never forget it. Thanks for the great post. Sometimes people need the reminders.