“Four minus three”Between sadness and courage – Barbara Pachl-Eberhart lost her entire family
She is more than a “mourner”.
It was March 20, 2008, when Barbara Pachl-Eberhart lost her entire family in one fell swoop. Her husband and two children are hit by a train in a minibus. The young widow finds her own way to deal with it.
Husband and children lose their lives on the same day
“Mourners drink cola. Mourners also worry about their hairstyle, we are completely normal people, even if fate hits us over the head,” says Barbara Pachl-Eberhart. At a railway crossing in the small town of Takern in Styria, her entire family – her husband Helli, six-year-old Thimo and three-year-old Fini – were wiped out in one fell swoop.
Reading tip: Family wiped out in railway crossing accident
A train rushes into the minibus at 120 kilometers per hour, probably because the father missed the light signal. Barbara Pachl-Eberhart is not there; she is working as a clown in a hospital that morning.
Widow writes a book about her fate
Her husband also works as a clown. Instead of a traditional funeral, she arranges a clown festival with music and dancing at the grave. This is now also shown in the film “Four minus three”, which depicts the life and fate of the Austrian.
Reading tip: Cristina (6) loses her entire family in a train accident in Spain
Soon after the accident, she began writing a book. About the day when out of FOUR family members only ONE remained. To this day she is more than just a “mourner”. It helps you and many other people to laugh. She still works as a clown and has also completed training as a grief counselor.
Barbara Pachl-Eberhart tells us in our video above how much the red nose helped her come to terms with her fate and what she is still grateful for today.
Sources used: own RTL research





