36 people hurt, 11 seriously, as turbulence rocks a flight to Hawaii

Three dozen people were hurt — 11 of them seriously — when a flight from Phoenix to Honolulu was rocked by severe turbulence on Sunday, the authorities said. The Hawaiian Airlines flight, which carried 238 passengers and 10 crew members, landed at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu at about 11 a.m. local time, according to the airline. Medical personnel provided care to passengers and crew members who were injured, according to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. Shayne Enright, a spokeswoman for the services, said that 36 people, including a 14-month old and three crew members, were injured. Of those, 11 people, including one teenager, were hospitalized with serious injuries. Nine others were hospitalized in stable condition, she added. The condition of the infant was not immediately available. “Injuries included a serious head injury, lacerations, bruising and loss of consciousness,” Enright said. None of the victims appeared to have life-threatening injuries, she said. Hawaiian Airlines said on Twitter that it was supporting all affected passengers and employees, and that it had provided medical care to those who were injured in the flight. At a news conference on Sunday, the COO for Hawaiian Airlines, Jon Snook, said that the seatbelt sign was on when flight HA35 experienced turbulence about 30 minutes outside of Honolulu. Turbulence, which is air movement that often occurs unexpectedly and cannot be seen, can be created by various conditions, including cold or warm weather fronts, thunderstorms and jet streams. About 58 people in the United States are injured each year by turbulence while not wearing their seatbelts, according to the FAA. <br/>