A mother of three from the Zillertal suffered a spinal cord injury in a tractor accident. Now everyone is rolling up their sleeves to reorganize daily life on the old mountain farm. This needs to be converted to make it accessible for the disabled. Donations can help.
Claudia Wechselberger (44) was used to tackling. High on the Rohrberg, the family of five runs a farm and rents it out. Not a day went by without work. Now the Zillertal woman is fighting in the Bad Häring rehabilitation center to find her way back to a life that will be completely different from before. Other Christmases are also around the corner.
The tractor tips over and Claudia is underneath it
Flashback: It is the evening of September 28. Claudia works with wood together with her husband Josef. She operates the tractor’s winch to pull already felled trees out of the forest. Then the tractor suddenly tips sideways over an embankment and overturns. The 44-year-old is swept away and buried under the vehicle. The emergency helicopter Heli 4 takes her to the clinic in Innsbruck, where the doctors make the terrible diagnosis: spinal cord injury at the hip.
Renovation of the old farm to make it accessible to people with disabilities
“The future, which was once full of plans and dreams, is now characterized by uncertainties and challenges,” write Claudia’s friend Petra and the Mountainheroes Zillertal association in an appeal for donations. “Just to convert the old farmhouse so that it is accessible to the disabled will require a lot of money, for example with a lift,” explains club chairman Alfons Hörhager.
Mobility must also be guaranteed for Claudia and her children Martin, Bianca and Simon; An adapted car is not only necessary because of their peripheral location. “We guarantee that every donation will arrive. No matter how small it is, it is a sign of hope and solidarity in these difficult times,” the appeal reads.
Offers of assistance beyond the Tyrolean borders
The consolation: “The solidarity is not only great in the Zillertal. There are clubs from tobogganers to young farmers. And people call from Upper Austria or Styria. For example, they want to help renovate the house,” says Hörhager.
In the meantime, Claudia Wechselberger still has a months-long rehabilitation journey ahead of her in Bad Häring. The physical and mental wounds are heavy right now and glimmers of hope do not come easily. It would be all the more important if at least financial worries could be reduced.
Support in this tragic case is requested on the “Claudia Wechselberger donation account” at Raiffeisenbank Mayrhofen and surrounding areas, under IBAN AT68 3627 4000 0006 6050.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
