Narrative:

I was assigned to fly a flight departing dfw. My first officer and I met the plane as it arrived at the gate. The flight attendants on board were scheduled to fly with us to rdu on through flight. After the passenger deplaned, I walked on board to introduce myself to the crew and met the position #1 flight attendant. I said I wanted to do a crew briefing with the entire crew. The #1 flight attendant said that would be great. Position #1 flight attendant informed me that they had hit some nasty turbulence en route from san to dfw and that was why the captain was talking to the position #2 flight attendant in the front section of seating. So I walked past them and introduced myself to the position #4 flight attendant and asked her what happened. She told me that they were towards the back of the plane and really had the living stuff beat out of them. The position #2 flight attendant was airborne literally and came down hard on the service cart. Several passenger were thrown from their seats into the overhead ceiling panels. I told her when the captain was done talking with the #2 flight attendant, I would like to conduct a safety briefing with the entire crew. She also was happy I was taking the time to do this. When the captain departed, I sat down with my crew and ran through my briefing items that I cover. When I came to the in-flight turbulence portion of my briefing, everything stopped for me as I looked into the position #2 flight attendant's eyes and could see pain. Her face flush, her eyes red and glassy, and she was holding her arms tight against her chest. I told her I think you need to go to air carrier medical and get checked over. She was very concerned about doing so for reasons which I will discuss later, and is the reason for this report. A minor point, she refused. As the captain, I made the decision that this flight attendant was not going with us to rdu and instructed my first officer to call the ramp tower and get me a flight attendant supervisor down to the plane immediately. Instead, I received a phone call on the jetbridge from the manager. I told her the situation and she asked me mid-sentence, 'is this the #2 flight attendant?' to which I said yes. She informed me she would take care of it. I informed her I wanted a supervisor to take this flight attendant to medical right away. To her credit, she had an electric cart and a supervisor at our gate and very quickly drove her to medical. The flight attendant was afraid to call in injured or sick or unable to go forth on her sequence. That is simply wrong. This flight attendant was going to continue trying to work her trip, knowing she was injured because of the way air carrier management treats those who won't go that extra mi for the company. The reason why this occurs is because this corporation bullies its employees. I can recount hundreds -- literally hundreds - of times that I have seen flight attendants coming to work sick because they didn't want to get in trouble for having clogged ears, fevers, the flu. The topper is this, however, was when a flight attendant is injured performing her job. When everyone else is seated and buckled, this corporate mentality we are all under would question whether or not this employee really was hurt. It took a captain to intervene and cut to the chase by throwing her off the trip, something generally left to people who are insubordinate. I don't want to have to divert because I have a flight attendant working with broken ribs and discover that little fact hours later.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 CAPT RPTED THAT ONE OF HIS FLT ATTENDANTS, CONTINUING THE FLT FROM A PREVIOUS LEG, DID NOT IMMEDIATELY DISCLOSE AN INJURY SHE SUSTAINED DURING TURB WHILE ON THE APCH TO RDU.

Narrative: I WAS ASSIGNED TO FLY A FLT DEPARTING DFW. MY FO AND I MET THE PLANE AS IT ARRIVED AT THE GATE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS ON BOARD WERE SCHEDULED TO FLY WITH US TO RDU ON THROUGH FLT. AFTER THE PAX DEPLANED, I WALKED ON BOARD TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO THE CREW AND MET THE POS #1 FLT ATTENDANT. I SAID I WANTED TO DO A CREW BRIEFING WITH THE ENTIRE CREW. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT SAID THAT WOULD BE GREAT. POS #1 FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD HIT SOME NASTY TURB ENRTE FROM SAN TO DFW AND THAT WAS WHY THE CAPT WAS TALKING TO THE POS #2 FLT ATTENDANT IN THE FRONT SECTION OF SEATING. SO I WALKED PAST THEM AND INTRODUCED MYSELF TO THE POS #4 FLT ATTENDANT AND ASKED HER WHAT HAPPENED. SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE PLANE AND REALLY HAD THE LIVING STUFF BEAT OUT OF THEM. THE POS #2 FLT ATTENDANT WAS AIRBORNE LITERALLY AND CAME DOWN HARD ON THE SVC CART. SEVERAL PAX WERE THROWN FROM THEIR SEATS INTO THE OVERHEAD CEILING PANELS. I TOLD HER WHEN THE CAPT WAS DONE TALKING WITH THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT, I WOULD LIKE TO CONDUCT A SAFETY BRIEFING WITH THE ENTIRE CREW. SHE ALSO WAS HAPPY I WAS TAKING THE TIME TO DO THIS. WHEN THE CAPT DEPARTED, I SAT DOWN WITH MY CREW AND RAN THROUGH MY BRIEFING ITEMS THAT I COVER. WHEN I CAME TO THE INFLT TURB PORTION OF MY BRIEFING, EVERYTHING STOPPED FOR ME AS I LOOKED INTO THE POS #2 FLT ATTENDANT'S EYES AND COULD SEE PAIN. HER FACE FLUSH, HER EYES RED AND GLASSY, AND SHE WAS HOLDING HER ARMS TIGHT AGAINST HER CHEST. I TOLD HER I THINK YOU NEED TO GO TO ACR MEDICAL AND GET CHKED OVER. SHE WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DOING SO FOR REASONS WHICH I WILL DISCUSS LATER, AND IS THE REASON FOR THIS RPT. A MINOR POINT, SHE REFUSED. AS THE CAPT, I MADE THE DECISION THAT THIS FLT ATTENDANT WAS NOT GOING WITH US TO RDU AND INSTRUCTED MY FO TO CALL THE RAMP TWR AND GET ME A FLT ATTENDANT SUPVR DOWN TO THE PLANE IMMEDIATELY. INSTEAD, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL ON THE JETBRIDGE FROM THE MGR. I TOLD HER THE SIT AND SHE ASKED ME MID-SENTENCE, 'IS THIS THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT?' TO WHICH I SAID YES. SHE INFORMED ME SHE WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. I INFORMED HER I WANTED A SUPVR TO TAKE THIS FLT ATTENDANT TO MEDICAL RIGHT AWAY. TO HER CREDIT, SHE HAD AN ELECTRIC CART AND A SUPVR AT OUR GATE AND VERY QUICKLY DROVE HER TO MEDICAL. THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS AFRAID TO CALL IN INJURED OR SICK OR UNABLE TO GO FORTH ON HER SEQUENCE. THAT IS SIMPLY WRONG. THIS FLT ATTENDANT WAS GOING TO CONTINUE TRYING TO WORK HER TRIP, KNOWING SHE WAS INJURED BECAUSE OF THE WAY ACR MGMNT TREATS THOSE WHO WON'T GO THAT EXTRA MI FOR THE COMPANY. THE REASON WHY THIS OCCURS IS BECAUSE THIS CORPORATION BULLIES ITS EMPLOYEES. I CAN RECOUNT HUNDREDS -- LITERALLY HUNDREDS - OF TIMES THAT I HAVE SEEN FLT ATTENDANTS COMING TO WORK SICK BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO GET IN TROUBLE FOR HAVING CLOGGED EARS, FEVERS, THE FLU. THE TOPPER IS THIS, HOWEVER, WAS WHEN A FLT ATTENDANT IS INJURED PERFORMING HER JOB. WHEN EVERYONE ELSE IS SEATED AND BUCKLED, THIS CORPORATE MENTALITY WE ARE ALL UNDER WOULD QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT THIS EMPLOYEE REALLY WAS HURT. IT TOOK A CAPT TO INTERVENE AND CUT TO THE CHASE BY THROWING HER OFF THE TRIP, SOMETHING GENERALLY LEFT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE INSUBORDINATE. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DIVERT BECAUSE I HAVE A FLT ATTENDANT WORKING WITH BROKEN RIBS AND DISCOVER THAT LITTLE FACT HRS LATER.

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.