Obey the Seatbelt Light When It Goes On

Four unbuckled passengers and two flight attendants injured when plane hit turbulence

American Airlines Flight 908 was roughly half an hour out of Miami International Airport from Buenos Aires early this morning when it hit turbulence at 30,000 feet. Even though the seatbelt light was reportedly on, some people were not buckled up. According to reports, two flight attendants and four passengers were taken to the hospital with back and neck injuries, and paramedics treated eight other people on the scene.

At that altitude, flight attendants would still be in the galleys or aisles, but there is not much of an excuse for if the passengers were not to be stapped in, whether walking around the cabin or in their seats. WTVJ, the NBC affiliate, showed footage of passengers and flight attendants being taken to hospitals.

Obviously, the thousands of daily flights where no one is hurt don't make the news as does the single rare flight where there are several injuries. However, this incident is a good reminder to take the "fasten seatbelts" sign seriously and buckle up.