Narrative:

Cockpit alerted flight attendants to possible heavy turbulence over san joaquin valley, ca, so we were cleaning up aft galley and collecting trash and I was performing seatbelt compliance as we began descent over sierras. Upon walking to forward portion of main cabin, we hit moderate/severe turbulence that threw me onto a passenger. I was still going forward at the time and landed in his lap on my left side. Upon realizing we were still hitting turbulence, I thought I would/could scramble across his lap to buckle myself into the empty middle seat. We continued to be tossed in turbulence and I didn't think I'd make it into the seat. As I was laying on passenger's lap, I'd turned onto my back to get across him and at that time we hit very severe turbulence, which caused my head and shoulders to be forced hard toward the floor. I heard my spine crack between my shoulder blades and that is when I decided to try and situation up where I was, still on passenger's lap, and wrap my arms around the seat back in front of me, locking my hands around my forearms and tucking my arms underneath the headrest in front of me. I yelled for the passenger whose lap I was sitting on to grab me and hold me. I think he had his arms around my waist. So, with my lower body still facing the aisle, my upper body was facing forward and I held on for dear life. When the turbulence began to subside, I began assessing the rest of the aircraft. Looking forward, I could see that 2 flight attendants in first class were sitting on the floor in the aisle with passenger holding onto them. I looked aft and saw 3-5 male passenger up and moving into aft galley. At that time I knew something had happened in the aft galley. I got up and holding on to armrests, I moved back to the galley. I felt weird, both due to a little shock from snapping noise in my spine. I ordered the passenger back to their seats and to buckle their seatbelts. I focused on #2 flight attendant. She was covered with blood, as was the galley. There were soda cans around the galley floor. There was communication with cockpit and an announcement for volunteer medical assistance and the other flight attendants cleared the last row. I cradled flight attendant #2 and tried to assess and keep her conscious. I got ice from galley and had flight attendant #2 hold it on her head. I got the first aid kit. I stayed seated for landing while monitoring and talking to flight attendant #2 until paramedics came on board. We all went to local medical center.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A TURB ENCOUNTER RESULTS IN CABIN CREW INJURY.

Narrative: COCKPIT ALERTED FLT ATTENDANTS TO POSSIBLE HVY TURB OVER SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CA, SO WE WERE CLEANING UP AFT GALLEY AND COLLECTING TRASH AND I WAS PERFORMING SEATBELT COMPLIANCE AS WE BEGAN DSCNT OVER SIERRAS. UPON WALKING TO FORWARD PORTION OF MAIN CABIN, WE HIT MODERATE/SEVERE TURB THAT THREW ME ONTO A PAX. I WAS STILL GOING FORWARD AT THE TIME AND LANDED IN HIS LAP ON MY L SIDE. UPON REALIZING WE WERE STILL HITTING TURB, I THOUGHT I WOULD/COULD SCRAMBLE ACROSS HIS LAP TO BUCKLE MYSELF INTO THE EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT. WE CONTINUED TO BE TOSSED IN TURB AND I DIDN'T THINK I'D MAKE IT INTO THE SEAT. AS I WAS LAYING ON PAX'S LAP, I'D TURNED ONTO MY BACK TO GET ACROSS HIM AND AT THAT TIME WE HIT VERY SEVERE TURB, WHICH CAUSED MY HEAD AND SHOULDERS TO BE FORCED HARD TOWARD THE FLOOR. I HEARD MY SPINE CRACK BTWN MY SHOULDER BLADES AND THAT IS WHEN I DECIDED TO TRY AND SIT UP WHERE I WAS, STILL ON PAX'S LAP, AND WRAP MY ARMS AROUND THE SEAT BACK IN FRONT OF ME, LOCKING MY HANDS AROUND MY FOREARMS AND TUCKING MY ARMS UNDERNEATH THE HEADREST IN FRONT OF ME. I YELLED FOR THE PAX WHOSE LAP I WAS SITTING ON TO GRAB ME AND HOLD ME. I THINK HE HAD HIS ARMS AROUND MY WAIST. SO, WITH MY LOWER BODY STILL FACING THE AISLE, MY UPPER BODY WAS FACING FORWARD AND I HELD ON FOR DEAR LIFE. WHEN THE TURB BEGAN TO SUBSIDE, I BEGAN ASSESSING THE REST OF THE ACFT. LOOKING FORWARD, I COULD SEE THAT 2 FLT ATTENDANTS IN FIRST CLASS WERE SITTING ON THE FLOOR IN THE AISLE WITH PAX HOLDING ONTO THEM. I LOOKED AFT AND SAW 3-5 MALE PAX UP AND MOVING INTO AFT GALLEY. AT THAT TIME I KNEW SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED IN THE AFT GALLEY. I GOT UP AND HOLDING ON TO ARMRESTS, I MOVED BACK TO THE GALLEY. I FELT WEIRD, BOTH DUE TO A LITTLE SHOCK FROM SNAPPING NOISE IN MY SPINE. I ORDERED THE PAX BACK TO THEIR SEATS AND TO BUCKLE THEIR SEATBELTS. I FOCUSED ON #2 FLT ATTENDANT. SHE WAS COVERED WITH BLOOD, AS WAS THE GALLEY. THERE WERE SODA CANS AROUND THE GALLEY FLOOR. THERE WAS COM WITH COCKPIT AND AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR VOLUNTEER MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AND THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS CLRED THE LAST ROW. I CRADLED FLT ATTENDANT #2 AND TRIED TO ASSESS AND KEEP HER CONSCIOUS. I GOT ICE FROM GALLEY AND HAD FLT ATTENDANT #2 HOLD IT ON HER HEAD. I GOT THE FIRST AID KIT. I STAYED SEATED FOR LNDG WHILE MONITORING AND TALKING TO FLT ATTENDANT #2 UNTIL PARAMEDICS CAME ON BOARD. WE ALL WENT TO LCL MEDICAL CTR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.