protectthehornet,
I agree with you that blindly evacuating is never a good idea.
The point I'm trying to make is that since we were not there and and we weren't privy to the communication exchange between ATC, the crew and the First responders that led to their decision, it is unfair to say that they "blindly evacuated the aircraft".
In addition, I am saying that if you are in doubt about a situation and the
possible consequencies of one response versus the other is far more grave, then it is better to err on the cautious side.
The report does not state the reason for the injuries but it did state that passengers said it was a hard landing so we can't attribute the injuries (or at least all of them) to the evacuation process alone.
The 10 minor injuries could be simple scratches, scrapes and bruises. The 5 serious ones could be attributed to the hard landing, the evacuation itself, or to someone looking to make a quick buck....All you have to do is hold your neck, grimace in pain and you are off to the hospital with an injury lawyer in tow......
BTW, I have learnt a long time ago that what we read in the press and the facts as they actually occurred are quite often not the same.