JetBlue turbulence puts 24 in hospital

A JetBlue flight en route from Boston to Sacrament was diverted to Rapid City last night after turbulence left 24 passengers and crew members injured. The flight arrived around 6:30 p.m (8:30 p.m ET), to the diverted location. As on 9 a.m., the incident aircraft is still at Rapid City Regional Airport.

A woman who was among the 146 passengers on a JetBlue flight that was diverted to South Dakota due to awful turbulence says the scene inside the aircraft was “like a movie”.

South Dakota news outlets report that 22 passengers and two crew members were taken to a local hospital but were all treated for minor injuries and released.

JetBlue says more than 20 passengers and crew members were injured when turbulence rocked their flight from MA to California, forcing the aircraft to be diverted to South Dakota.

People who were on the plane say passengers were flying out of their seat belts and hitting their heads on the ceiling. “I literally grabbed her out of the air to hold her to her seat”, he wrote.

The turbulence even caused the toilet to be ripped from the bathroom wall, according to one passenger.

A flight attendant was in the plane’s gallery when the turbulence struck the plane and suffered a neck injury along with cuts and a concussion after hitting her head on the aircraft’s ceiling.