A year ago everything changed for a family from Styria: the father of the family died in a terrible tractor accident. His wife and three children remain behind on the mountain farm. The “Krone” family helped! Now the first Christmas without daddy is just around the corner.
The farm is located like an eagle’s nest high on the mountain, at an altitude of 1200 meters. The journey is adventurous, the abyss is as close as you can see in the dense fog. But in the kitchen, mom creates a cozy, warm atmosphere. There is the gingerbread house, there is the Advent wreath. Everything as usual before Christmas. And yet everything is completely different this year.
Because it is the first Christmas without the father of the family, who died on January 7. There are photos of him in the Herrgottswinkel, a candle is burning.
“We are all too sad”
“We are not going to do much this year, just a tree for the little one,” says the widow. “We are all way too sad.” Five-year-old Dominik in particular still can’t believe it. “Somehow he hopes his beloved father will be there for Christmas.” But that won’t happen. Not anymore. “He protects us from above,” the mother then comforts.
We reported on it – and this fate especially came under the skin of our readers this year as part of “Krone Helps”. How the 47-year-old left the house on January 7 to drive the tractor into the forest. How strange it was that the dog did not want to get into the tractor this time, “that surprised us all.” Dominik wanted to accompany his father. Was it a harbinger? A bad feeling? “I didn’t let him, it was so cold, so much snow.”
The father of the family never returned home
Dad never came home again. A neighbor watched in complete shock as the tractor began to back up on the steep terrain; unstoppable. Fallen over. I stayed down. Nobody got out. Deadly silence.
The widow often goes to this place, lays flowers, talks to him. ‘I feel his presence, I receive advice.’ She needed a lot of advice because she was in deep despair. The deep sadness. She didn’t know what to do next. A financial collapse loomed.
And then they intervened, the ‘Krone’ family. And how! “I don’t even know how to thank you. The fact that so many complete strangers thought of us and helped us leaves you speechless, humbled and so grateful. A thank you is never enough.”
New tractor and financial cushion
At the family’s request, we are not disclosing the donation amount, but it was an overwhelming amount. Enough to buy a used tractor; the old one broke in the accident. Without it you will be completely lost here on the mountain. The woman and her two older children can now keep the company running with suckler cows and thirty animals. All three of them work even harder than before, “but we fight with all our might for our house.” And it was enough to cover daily needs and create a financial buffer for the children.
The readers of “Krone” lifted the family out of deep despair and gave them hope in a hopeless situation. A new beginning. And proven: this family can move mountains.
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.
