A woman who claimed she was injured on an extremely turbulent flight to Phoenix from Seattle in December 2024 is suing Alaska Airlines, alleging the airline neglected safety measures and did not avoid dangerous weather, which caused the extraordinary turbulence.
The suit alleged the plane dropped about 200 feet over a few seconds.
The woman, Natalie Russell, filed the lawsuit in Washington. In it, she claimed she was seated and using her seatbelt, but due to violent turbulence, she and her neighboring passenger both slammed into the plane's ceiling. The suit claimed Russell said passengers in front of her hit their heads so hard on the ceiling that a portion of the panel broke and fell off.
Despite extreme turbulence, the flight was not diverted and continued on its path to Phoenix, the suit alleged. According to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board, the airline opted to continue its trip to Phoenix after determining that diverting to the nearest airport would again route the plane through an area of expected turbulence.
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When she arrived in Phoenix, Russell claimed her brother took her to urgent care because she was experiencing head pain, neck pain and stiffness, back pain, a headache and other injuries.
Alaska Airlines is being sued by a woman who says she was injured on an extremely turbulent flight to Phoenix from Seattle in December 2024.
Russell also claimed she was traumatized after witnessing others’ injuries, including some flight attendants who were severely injured.
“Due to the continuous severe turbulence and the violent plunging, Alaska’s flight attendants, some of whom were not seat belted, suffered significant injuries,” the suit claimed. “Flight attendants were seen bleeding profusely as they screamed and moaned loudly, clearly in extreme pain.”
In December 2024, Alaska Airlines officials said medical professionals met the plane at the gate to treat “several crew members and one guest."
"We apologize for any concern this experience may have caused our guests," the airline said in a statement in December 2024. "We are appreciative of our dedicated crew for their skill and professionalism in responding to this situation, and are supporting them as they seek additional medical attention."
The suit did not seek a specific amount of money but sought damages to pay for medical bills and compensate for physical injuries and emotional trauma.
"Airlines have the highest duty of care for the safety of their passengers," aviation attorney Mark Lindquist, who is representing Russell in the suit, said in a statement. "Safety should come before schedules.”
