DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) – The Sagona family of Dublin’s winter getaway was excellent – their 10-day cruise took them out of chilly Ohio to much more tropical environments.

When the day arrived to come home, they got to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport well before they needed to be there, so they decided to have lunch at an airport restaurant.

“I don’t think we were sitting there for a minute and all the sudden this crowd running through the terminal,” Jim Sagona explained. “It was like all of the sudden being in a movie.”

Jim shielded his youngest daughter before escaping onto the tarmac. His family was briefly split up but found each other amongst the chaos.

The family decided to rent a car and drive back to Ohio, an unexpected twist to their vacation plan, but one they were more than happy to have the ability to do.

“We do truly feel blessed,” Sagona said. “We grieve for the families that lost loved ones there.”