B777 FLT CREW ENCOUNTERS MODERATE TURB RESULTING IN SEVERAL INJURIES.

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ENCOUNTERED UNEXPECTED; ABRUPT; MOMENTARY MODERATE TURB. AIRPLANE AND FLT CONDITIONS: HAD REACHED CRUISE ALT AND BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR A FEW MINS. SEATBELT SIGN HAD BEEN TURNED OFF AFTER ESTABLISHED IN CRUISE; AND A FEW MINS PRIOR TO INCIDENT. IN CLR AIR; WITH SOME CIRRUS ABOVE; AND UNDERCAST/BROKEN WELL BELOW. RIDE WAS SMOOTH TO NEARLY SMOOTH WITH VERY MINOR NIBBLES; BOTH JUST PRIOR TO AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TURB ENCOUNTER. TURB INFO: DURING DISCUSSION WITH DISPATCH EARLIER; WE WERE INFORMED OF LIGHT AND MODERATE TURB AT FL360-FL380 (OUR NORMAL CRUISE ALTS) AS WELL AS MODERATE RPTS DURING CLB 12000 FT TO FL270. ATC DID HAVE SOME INFO; BUT NOT COMPLETE INFO. I CAN'T REMEMBER IF THEY ACTIVELY STATED THAT FL320 WAS 'A GOOD RIDE;' OR IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY ACTIVE 'BAD' TURB RIDE RPTS; BUT THE HIGHER ALTS SEEMED WORSE IN ANY CASE. WE PLANNED (ON THE GND) FOR AND REQUESTED (IN THE AIR) FL320. DURING CLB; WE DID NOT HIT THE FORECAST/RPTED MODERATE TURB; ENCOUNTERING ONLY LIGHT TURB IN A COUPLE OF SPOTS; AND LIGHT CHOP TO SMOOTH ELSEWHERE. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS FAIRLY SMOOTH DURING THE UPPER CLB; I KEPT THE SEATBELT SIGN ON UNTIL AFTER REACHING CRUISE. TURB INCIDENT: NEAR ABEAM MLI/MZV; WE ENCOUNTERED A MOMENTARY MODERATE TURB; OR JOLT. IT SEEMED LIKE JUST ONE. VERY SHORT DURATION. I DON'T RECALL ANY NEGATIVE FORCES; JUST A VERY POSITIVE JOLT. NOTHING TO MY KNOWLEDGE MOVED IN THE COCKPIT; EVEN OPEN DRINKS IN THE COCKPIT DID NOT SPILL. SHORTLY AFTER; THE PURSER CALLED TO INFORM US OF MULTIPLE INJURIES; THE WORST OF WHICH SEEMED TO BE A PAX HEAD GASH; WITH 'LOTS' OF BLOOD. THE CABIN AT THIS POINT STARTED ADDRESSING THE INJURIES WITH RECRUITMENT OF A MEDICAL DOCTOR PAX; ACCESSING FIRST AID KITS; AND CABIN CLEAN-UP. WE INFORMED ATC OF THE ENCOUNTER AND STARTED THE PROCESS OF A DIVERSION THROUGH ATC AND DISPATCH. IT SEEMED TO TAKE A LONG TIME TO START GETTING ACCURATE INFO FROM THE CABIN; AS WELL AS COORDINATING WITH DISPATCH. IN ACTUALITY; IT PROBABLY WENT PRETTY QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY. WE HAD AN OFFLINE JUMPSEATER; WHO WE SENT TO THE CABIN TO START GATHERING DETAILED INFO ON INJURIES. HE WAS A GREAT RESOURCE AND HELPED A LOT. I SUPPOSE IT SEEMED LIKE A LONG TIME BECAUSE I STILL DIDN'T HAVE ANY INFO WHETHER OR NOT ANY INJURIES WERE LIFE THREATENING AND WHAT OUR DIVERT DECISION NEEDED TO BE. WE FINALLY DID START TO GET INFO THAT NONE OF THE INJURIES WERE LIFE THREATENING. I HAD IT CONFIRMED A SECOND TIME AS WELL. WE COORDINATED WITH DISPATCH AND DECISION TO CONTINUE TO LAX WAS MADE; CONSIDERING ARPTS ALONG RTE FOR POSSIBLE DIVERSION IF STATUS OF INJURIES DETERIORATED. FURTHER INFO FROM CABIN SHOWED 3 PAX INJURIES -- THE HEAD LACERATION; AND OTHER BUMPS AND BRUISES; AND 3 FLT ATTENDANTS INJURED KNEES AND ANKLE. ALL BUT 1 FLT ATTENDANT CONTINUED WORKING; AS WELL AS ONE FLT ATTENDANT JUMPSEATER ALSO VOLUNTEERED TO WORK. WE DISCUSSED THE INTENSITY OF THE ENCOUNTER AND DECIDED THAT IT WAS MODERATE. WE CONSIDERED A SEVERE DECLARATION; BUT THERE WAS NO AIRPLANE LOSS OF CTL; NOR ANY OBSERVED ALT OR ATTITUDE DEVS; NO MOVING OBJECTS OR SPILLED DRINKS IN THE COCKPIT. THE CABIN DID EXPERIENCE SOME PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS FALLING DOWN; AND SOME GALLEY ITEMS FALLING. SINCE THE CONDITIONS WERE FAVORABLE JUST PRIOR TO THE EVENT; A LACK OF PREPAREDNESS MAY HAVE BEEN THE REASON FOR THE MULTIPLE INJURIES. ALSO; CONSIDERING THE INTENSITY CALL; ATC DID QUERY US A NUMBER OF TIMES IF IT WAS SEVERE; OR ABOUT THE TURB SEVERITY. I DO NOT THINK I TERMED IT SEVERE; BUT IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT; I DO NOT KNOW. AFTERWARD; WE ATTEMPTED TO CLARIFY IT AS MODERATE.