Tragedy in the forest

Tragedy in the forest: father finds his dead son

The widow and the baby, who is only a few weeks old, are left behind.(Bild: Christa Blümel, Krone KREATIV)

24 January 2024: On this black day, fate struck a mountain farm in Styria with merciless force: The life of a young father of a family was snuffed out. The desperate partner and the baby, just a few weeks old, were left behind.

This fate, which we have reported on before, has deeply shaken the "Krone" readership. The family had only experienced the greatest happiness at the end of November with the birth of their first child - and two months later, without warning, without omens, fell from a bright blue sky into the deepest abyss of grief. The father of the family died just two weeks after his 30th birthday.

A horror that could not have been worse. Friends had come to visit, to "watch the baby", the schnitzel was already steaming temptingly at the lunch table, only the young dad had not yet returned home from woodworking. His own father - the family lives in a multi-generational house - went in search of him. And found the young Styrian buried under a tree. Under the spruce that had killed him. Not even a mighty tree, but a rather slender little tree, what a mockery. It was snapped in the only place where the 30-year-old, who was always so concerned about safety, was unprotected: a piece of his neck.

All her lifelong dreams have been shattered
The wedding had already been planned, the extension to the farm high up on the mountain, a second baby because little Max was such a joy - instead, the young woman is now without her beloved partner. Without his help on the farm, with 16 dairy cows. With a little half-orphan. What can you say to her? Will she be all right, some cliché like time heals all wounds? No.

Hope for the "Krone" family
Nothing you say will bring any comfort. We can only help, because the wife is on maternity leave with a corresponding income, the father of the family is no longer there, his account is blocked, as always in such a case, so there is hardly any money available. It's pathetic when such a tragedy is compounded by a financial catastrophe.

The family helps as much as they can. And: the woman and the baby have another one! The "Krone" family that you can always rely on ...

If you would like to help: "Die Krone hilft - Steiermark", AT152081500044569523, reference Max. The donations go 100% to the family and are tax-deductible.