Continental Flight Diverted to Miami, Passengers Injured

Continental Flight 128, scheduled for service from Rio de Janeiro to Houston, was diverted to Miami early this morning due to severe turbulence. The aircraft encountered the sudden rocking around 4:30 a.m. and was met by ambulances after safely landing in Miami at 5:30 a.m. Four people were seriously injured, while 22 more suffered from minor injuries. The rest of the 168 passengers were detained on the plane for three hours, but the flight has been rescheduled for later this morning.

Although the seatbelt sign was illuminated, some passengers were not belted in when turbulence was suddenly encountered. According to CNN, a passenger reported seeing others who were not restrained fly up into the ceiling of the plane.

Thankfully, in this situation, the crew was able to safely land the plane and get immediate medical attention for the injured passengers. And, although the flight crew does its best to protect us while onboard every flight, and can handle just about anything, we need to take our own safety seriously—even if that means actually listening to the safety talk at the beginning of the flight.

Do you keep your seatbelt fastened at all times? Tell us your experience in the comments section below.