One on the Ground: The Story of One Family Before, During, and After Continental Flight 3407 Crashed into their Home

by Karen Wielinski

Overview

When Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into Karen Wielinski's home, everyone aboard the plane died. So did "one on the ground." This compelling memoir tells of survival, grief, hope, miracles, and family bonds. It is a moving tribute to Doug Wielinski and the other victims whose families melded into a movement for airline safety.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680610079
Publisher:	Librastream LLC
Publication date:	02/12/2017
Pages:	366
Sales rank:	1,057,416
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Karen Wielinski is a freelance writer who has lived in East Aurora, New York since 2010. Along with the love of her daughters and grandchildren, her involvement in a local writing group continues to be a source of inspiration and strength to her.

Each segment of this book has a date at the end, the date it was written. Careful readers will see from those dates how Karen has grown as a writer in the years since the crash of Flight 3407 into her home.

A fellow writer told her:

I do believe that you would have got around to taking up writing again if you and Doug had been given time to enjoy the empty nest phase of your lives together, but I also believe that some of the power of your words was transferred to you as that plane hit your home. I am reminded of an applicable cliche - the finest steel is tempered by the hottest fire.

Karen plans to keep writing. She also plans that her future work will include some cheerful subjects.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Reaction

Part One--February 2009 - February 2010
February 2009
Daily Bread
March 2009
Spots
April 2009
Sharing a Passion
May 2009
Anniversary
June 2009
Rings
The Flea Market
July 2009
In Repair
The Story Behind the Story
August 2009
Photographs
Requiem
The Quilt
September 2009
Storage Sheds
The Kiss
Fragments
October 2009
Home
November 2009
Going the Extra Mile
December 2009
A Special Gift
Simple Pleasures
January 2010
Land of Make Believe
An Interesting Turn of Events
February 2010
Bound by Tragedy
Sharing a Meal
The Essence of the Man
Part Two -- The Families
February 2013
Never Say Never
Sounds
Planes
Expressions

Part Three -- 6038 Long Street
The Block Party
Edge of the Undertow
Celebration of Life
Dedication Speech (June 2, 2012)
A Change of Heart
Just Because

Part Four-The Trial
Eight Days
Antidotes
Guilt
Tears
Relentless
Words

Part Five-Aftermath
24 More Hours
Six Years Later
February, 2016
Comparisons
The Web

Editorial Reviews

One on the Ground is the incredible recounting of Karen Wielinski's personal loss and survival when Flight 3407 crashed into her home and shattered life as she knew it. Her story is in many ways the story of each of us who also lost someone dearly-loved in the crash. She describes how she miraculously survived and how her ordinary life became part of a chain of events and a larger national discussion on airline safety. As she journeys through that night and the months of grief that followed, she writes with love, warmth, and compassion, along with touches of humor and bewilderment. The love she shared with her husband Doug and with her girls is a constant that shines through as she picks up the shreds of her life and rebuilds it into a life of which Doug would be proud. We, the 'Families of Flight 3407,' are grateful to Karen for telling her unique story. It is a testament to the resiliency and strength we found in ourselves and each other.
Karen Eckert,
Sister of Beverly Eckert
Families of Flight 3407

"It has been an honor to work with the Flight 3407 Families. Their strength in the face of unspeakable tragedy is inspiring; their advocacy for better airline safety keeps alive the memory of those we lost. Their work has made air travel safer for countless passengers and personnel. We must continue to tell their stories, and we must never forget what happened that night."
Senator Charles Schumer,

"One on the Ground is as much a love story as it is a look back at the darkest day in the lives of 50 families. Through raw emotion and vivid memories, Karen Wielinski takes you on an eight-year journey, inspiring you along the way with a message of hope and resiliency. Covering the journeys of the Flight 3407 families has been an incredibly powerful personal and professional experience."
Ed Drantch,
Anchor/Reporter
Eyewitness News
WKBW-TV, Channel 7
Buffalo, New York

From the Publisher