'Severe' Air Turbulence Sends 12 to Hospital

They suffered cuts, minor head injuries
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 31, 2016 2:24 PM CDT
'Severe' Air Turbulence Sends 12 to Hospital
A United Airlines plane takes off from Newark Airport in 2013.   (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

A United Airlines flight that left Houston bound for London made an emergency landing in Ireland on Wednesday after severe turbulence left 10 passengers and two flight attendants needing hospital treatment, officials say. All but one of the injured aboard United Airlines Flight 880 had been discharged from University Hospital Limerick after receiving treatment for minor injuries, reports the AP. One patient, a flight attendant, was still being assessed.

United said that "severe and unexpected turbulence" caused the diversion of the Boeing 767-300 plane, which was carrying 207 passengers, three cockpit crew members, and 10 flight attendants. Officials at Ireland’s Shannon Airport initially said 16 people needed hospital care, but later indicated only 12 had been treated after the incident. The patients were treated for soft tissue injuries, cuts, and minor head injuries, according to a hospital statement. Others received treatment for lesser injuries at the airport. (More United Airlines stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X