"Always Wear Your Seatbelt on the Plane" — Severe Turbulence Injured Several Passengers

I've been on multiple flights in my life and I've always envied the people who have been able to fall right asleep as soon as the plane leaves the ground. Me? I've been a nervous flyer for years and have never been able to catch any winks no matter how long my flight is. That's mostly due to in-flight turbulence. Whenever the plane makes the slightest shake, I get super anxious and can't ever calm my mind enough to rest. That said, if I were on this flight, I probably would have full-blown panicked.

In late August 2023, Ayo on TikTok (@helloayo) shared unsettling footage of passengers who suffered injuries due to severe plane turbulence. Here's their account of the aftermath.

Turbulence is to be expected on a plane, even if it does cause general unease for some flyers. However, Ayo's story sounds like the absolute worst-case scenario for turbulence. On their recent Delta flight, the turbulence became so bad that the plane had to make an emergency landing.

According to Ayo, the severe turbulence during the flight caused the plane to "[drop] significantly." Several people were reportedly sent flying out of their seats during the bumpy ride.

As if that weren't bad enough, many passengers were injured from the drop and the cabin even experienced some blowback. One of the oxygen masks dropped down, which typically never happens unless the pressure changes in the plane.

Not only that but several people were hurt during the turbulence. Some injuries were bad enough that the plane had to make an emergency landing so that paramedics could escort passengers off the flight for medical treatment.

Some folks had to be taken away on gurneys while others were brought off the plane wearing neck braces.

Ayo even claims that "One woman flew up so high, she hit the overhead compartment and cracked it."

In a quick follow-up, Ayo dubbed this flight the first one in which they genuinely clapped when they landed. Although that's usually reserved for white people trying to make a weird statement, anyone would applaud a flight crew who managed to land safely after turbulence like that.

Yet as if fate hadn't toyed with Ayo's well-being enough, they had to take another flight after that. Understandably, they were nervous to even get on a plane after that incident and had to find new ways to relax in order to fly.

Ayo even reported that Delta made multiple announcements reminding folks to keep their seatbelts fastened mid-flight. In all likelihood, Delta had caught wind of the incident and was doing everything in its power to avoid more injuries on their flights.

Luckily, Ayo landed safely once again without another incident, but they recalled that their heart jumped at even the slightest hint of turbulence.

Some passengers who experience severe turbulence will likely avoid planes for as long as possible for the foreseeable future.