MIAMI (WSVN) - Rescue crews took eight people to the hospital after a flight heading to New York City was diverted to Miami International Airport due to turbulence, officials said.
7News cameras captured paramedics with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue wheeling one of the victims into Jackson Memorial Hospital, early Friday morning.
MIA officials said the victims were on Avianca Flight 42, which was traveling from Medellín, Colombia to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, when it experienced severe turbulence, forcing an emergency landing at MIA at around 3:30 a.m.
According to air traffic control records and audio, it appears the turbulence occurred while the plane was traveling at an altitude of 34,000 feet while above the airspace of Kingston, Jamaica.
A spokesperson for Avianca said the victims were six passengers and three cabin crew members. Of these nine victims, MDFR officials said they transported eight of them.
Several of the patients were seen arriving at the hospital with their luggage. Some were seen wearing neck braces.
The extent of these victims’ injuries is unclear. Seven of the patients were transported to the main hospital, and one was taken to Ryder Trauma Center.
A statement from Avianca reads in part:
“Upon arrival, Avianca’s team and airport medical services activated the appropriate protocols to provide immediate medical attention.
For the remaining passengers, Avianca’s airport team has arranged the necessary measures to ensure they can continue their journey to New York, providing assistance and support throughout the process.
Avianca remains in contact with the passengers and crew members involved while continuing to address the situation.”
Aviation attorney Zachary Gorwitz, who is not associated with any impacted parties, weighed in on the potential legal ramifications that could play out after this incident.
“When you have an accident, under the Montreal Convention on flights like these, the airline is actually strictly liable for the passengers’ injuries up to a certain amount. Above that amount, the airline has to prove that they were not careless or negligent, and if they can’t do that then the passengers will be able to recover the full extent of their damages,” he said.
MIA officials said the Avianca flight took off for JFK with its remaining passengers at around 8:15 a.m. after sitting on the tarmac for several hours.
7News has reached out to MDFR for more information about the patients’ conditions.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.