TURB ENCOUNTER NEAR TLH. CREW AND PAX INJURY.

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ABOUT 1 HR INTO OUR FLT TO PHX; WE ENCOUNTERED A CUMULUS CLOUD AHEAD IN OUR FLT PATH. THE LOCATION WAS AROUND TLH. WE COULD SEE THE BUILD-UP VISUALLY; HOWEVER; NOTHING WAS PAINTING ON THE WX RADAR. WE DECIDED TO GO AROUND THE BUILD-UP AND CHOSE TO DEVIATE TO THE R; WHICH WAS THE UPWIND SIDE. THERE WAS ANOTHER AIRLINER OPERATING AHEAD OF US ON THE SAME FLT PATH WHO RPTED NO PROBS. WHILE DEVIATING R OF COURSE; WE ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB -- SOMEWHERE FROM 5-15 SECONDS IN DURATION. SIGNIFICANT GAINS AND LOSSES IN AIRSPD AND ABOUT A 400 FT GAIN IN ALT. THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS ON DURING THE ENTIRE EVENT. I RPTED THE SEVERE TURB AND CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO ASSESS ANY DAMAGE AND/OR INJURIES. AS SOME INJURIES WERE BEING DISCOVERED; IT WAS RPTED TO US BY THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT ONE OF THE INFLT ENTERTAINMENT SCREENS HAD SHORTED OUT; SPARKED; AND WAS SMOLDERING. WE THEN CALLED COMPANY AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND COORDINATED A DIVERSION TO ATLANTA. THERE WE DECLARED AN EMER AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL OVERWT LNDG. THE ACFT HAD SOME INTERIOR DAMAGE CAUSED MOSTLY BY DISLODGED ITEMS; INCLUDING A BEVERAGE CART. NO EXTERIOR/STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS FOUND. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 479345: FLT IN FRONT OF US RPTED A LARGE BUILD-UP TO ITS L. THEY DID NOT RPT ANY TURB; HOWEVER; THEY WERE AT FL370. WE WERE TOO HVY TO CONSIDER CLBING AT THAT TIME. AS WE APCHED THE STORM; WE COMPREHENDED HOW LARGE IT WAS. THE CAPT TOLD THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT THE RIDE MAY GET BUMPY AND TURNED THE SEATBELT SIGN ON. WE HIT SEVERE TURB AS WE PASSED ABEAM THE THUNDERHEAD ABOUT 30 NM SW OF TLH. FIRST THE AUTOPLT CLICKED OFF WHEN THE ACFT HIT OVERSPD THEN ALMOST INSTANTLY FULL PWR WAS AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED AS THE ACFT WENT INTO ALPHA-PROTECTION (AN AIRBUS FEATURE DESIGNED TO PROTECT FROM A STALL) NEAR STALL SPD. I WAS THE PF. FOR ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS; I SIMPLY TRIED TO KEEP WINGS LEVEL AND AIRSPD SAFE. I BELIEVE WE GAINED ABOUT 500 FT. WHEN THE 'RIDE' WAS OVER; WE RESET THE AUTOPLT AND LOOKED AROUND. THE FLT DECK FLOOR WAS SCATTERED WITH EVERY MANUAL; CHART AND HEADSET FROM THE ACFT LIBRARY BINS. WE REALIZED WE PROBABLY HAD INJURIES. WE RPTED THE SEVERE TURB TO ATC. SOON AFTER THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT; WITH HER L LEG BLEEDING; CAME UP FRONT TO INFORM US WE HAD INJURED PAX AND THE THIRD FLT ATTENDANT. WE COORDINATED WITH COMPANY DISPATCH AND ATC OUR DESIRE TO DIVERT TO ATL. FIRST FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP FRONT AGAIN TO INFORM US THAT ONE OF THE PAX ENTERTAINMENT VIDEO SCREENS APPEARED TO BE SMOKING. DECISION WAS MADE TO DECLARE EMER AND HAVE EQUIP NOT ONLY STAND BY BUT FOLLOW US TO THE GATE. LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER PROBS. I HAVE LEARNED THAT EVEN THOUGH WE THINK WE KNOW MOTHER NATURE; WE DO NOT. NO RPTS OF TURB BECAUSE IT WAS EARLY MORNING AND ASIDE FROM OTHER ACR (WHO I MUST ASSUME ENCOUNTERED SMOOTH AIR) NOBODY HAD BEEN ON THIS RTE YET. WE PASSED WELL CLR OF THE STORM ON THE UPWIND SIDE; JUST LIKE WE WERE TAUGHT; AND STILL HIT ROUGH AIR. LASTLY; JUST BECAUSE OUR RELEASE HAD NO INDICATION OF TURB ENRTE; THAT WAS NO REASON TO ASSUME WE WOULD NOT ENCOUNTER ANY.