Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Human Factors; Weather
About 35 minutes out of [departure] we were in the aisle serving drinks and food. The Captain called the purser and the purser said over the PA to be seated. I sat on the floor and then was told it might be 20 minutes of turbulence; so the other Flight Attendant and I took the carts to the back galley and put them away. About 15 minutes later the Captain called and said we can get up; but don't take the carts out in the aisle. I questioned the Captain; with the Purser on the phone; asking if he was saying we can get up. He said yes; so the other Flight Attendant and I started to stock the liquor cart and the food cart. Five minutes later severe turbulence hit us while we were in the back galley. I was facing the back of the 737-900 and was thrown in the air along with the food cart; there are not any handles in the back to hold onto. I landed on my right knee and hit my left hand on a screw hanging from the food cart; the screw punctured my left wrist. I hit the right side of my head on the cart; and I wrenched my back. When we were able to get off the floor we called the purser to tell her we were hurt. The pilot got information from us and asked if we needed to land; and they also called Medlink. The other Flight Attendant and I felt that we could make it to destination; but we needed to be seen by paramedics. The paramedic met us at the plane and felt we should go to the hospital to have x-rays and to find out what our injuries were. The ambulance took us to the Hospital. They took x-rays and found a fractured Tibia Plateau. The other Flight Attendant and I did not leave the hospital until 7 hours later when we took a taxi to the hotel. The hospital gave me crutches and a leg brace. We flew home the next day.
B737-900 Flight Attendant described injuries received during a severe turbulence encounter.