25 people injured due to turbulence on Delta flight released from hospital, what happens now?

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — After a Delta flight had to divert because of significant turbulence, the people who were injured have been treated and released from the hospital, and an aviation attorney discussed what the fallout from an incident like this looks like for the passengers onboard.

Wednesday night, 25 people were taken to the hospital after Delta flight DL56 experienced significant turbulence and was forced to make an emergency landing at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP). The flight took off from Salt Lake City International Airport and it was enroute to Amsterdam.

Delta announced on Thursday around 2 p.m. that seven crew members were taken to area hospitals after the flight landed at MSP, and they were all treated and released by Thursday morning.

Additionally, 18 passengers were injured, and Delta said that everyone who was evaluated at the hospital and shared their status with Delta have also been released.

Delta also said that they are cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board on an investigation.

The aircraft experienced significant turbulence while flying over Wyoming. The plane was an Airbus A330-900, and it had 275 passengers and 13 crew members on board.

“Safety is our No. 1 value at Delta, and our Delta Care Team on Wednesday night and Thursday personally reached out to customers who were on the flight to assist them with their immediate needs, as well as coordinate their onward travel,” Delta said in a statement.

Delta will be operating a special flight from MSP to Amsterdam Thursday evening so that the passengers can continue their journey.

What happens after an aviation incident like this?

ABC4.com spoke to Leah Bucciero, an attorney who specializes in aviation.

Bucciero said that if severe turbulence happens without warning, injuries tend to happen because passengers do not have their seatbelts on. “In many instances, that alone will result in many injuries to the passengers of the aircraft,” she said.

The passengers who were injured may be entitled to compensation under the Montreal Convention, which is an international treaty that “governs carriage of passengers for international flights,” Bucciero said.

Under that treaty, passengers could be compensated up to $170,000, but they would need to hire a lawyer to represent them.

Delta will also have to prove that it did not act negligently in this situation. In the case of domestic flights, airlines “owe their passengers a duty of utmost care,” Bucciero said. “If they don’t act reasonably under that duty, then of course, there would be avenues for a passenger to seek recovery from an airline, even for domestic travel.”

Bucciero also said that her practice deals specifically with aviation incidents and accidents, and she’s been doing this work for 15 years. In that time, she’s seen many cases where passengers are injured by turbulence. “I don’t know that I would say that it is a very frequent thing, but it certainly does happen,” she said.

If something like this happens to you, Bucciero said that you should seek council before signing any kind of agreement with the airline. “They need to really understand what their rights are under the convention, under the laws applicable to international flight travel, and to make sure their interests are protected,” she said.

ABC News contributed to this report.