pattern is Full
the diversion turn begins about 1/2 way across Kansas (actually south into Oklahoma) - so more like 200 nm from KMCI, not 60 nm.
The actual event may have occured closer to KMCI, but presumably it took a few flying minutes for the shaken-up cabin crew to triage the injuries and report to the cockpit, and for the cockpit to decide a diversion was in order - at which point the difference in flight time between KDEN and KMCI (with a 180 turn) may have been less significant.
Also - IF the event took place near Kansas City, somehow turning back into the same weather pattern does not seem like a prime choice. "Hey, that was fun! Let's go back and see if we can hit that bump again!"
Agree
I've been aboard a similar flight where it took some time (more than a hundred miles of flight) to assess the injuries, coordinate with ground and then decide on the availability of emergency resources to treat the injuries on the ground the quickest. Ultimately we continued for 2 more hours to our destination and were met by several ambulances to take the injured off.
Importantly the first priority was to determine if the persons were in a stable or worsening condition. Lots of help is available both on the flight as well as from ground communications to lessen the load on the captain.