The mum of a teenage boy who lost his sight when a firework exploded in his face has told of the horrific moment she watched as his eye ‘leaked down his face’.
Aleks Stasiukiewicz, 17, suffered life-changing injuries and lost his left eye in the tragic accident after an unexploded firework detonated as he went to inspect it.
The college student had been with friends in a park after going to an organized display at a rugby club in Hartlepool, County Durham, in November 2024.
After being knocked to the ground by the force of the blast, pals called 999 and his mum Julie rushed to the scene minutes later to find her son already inside an ambulance.
Julie, of Hartlepool, said: ‘Aleks had left the house earlier in the evening to go to an organized firework display. Just hours later, I received a call from his friend telling me he’d been hit in the face with a firework.
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‘I thought he was joking, but he wasn’t. When I arrived, Aleks was already lying in the ambulance. I didn’t take my eyes off him; I was devastated. I had to watch as his eye leaked down the side of his face.’
Aleks was rushed to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where doctors delivered the devastating news that he had lost his left eye and part of his eyelid.
The teenager, aged 15 at the time, had also suffered burns to his arm and leg and broken a front tooth.
Specialist oculoplastic surgeons later removed fragments of firework debris from his eye socket and inserted a ball-shaped prosthesis designed to replicate the movement of a real eye.
Julie added: ‘The hospital was incredible and I cannot thank them enough for all they have done to give Aleks some normality, in what can only be described as a tragic incident.
‘Aleks underwent surgery the next day and now, thanks to the team’s expertise, he still has movement within his eye socket. He has lost a lot, and there will be things he can’t do, but we feel lucky. It could have been so much worse.’
Julie and Aleks are both now urging people to follow firework safety advice this Bonfire Night.
Aleks said: ‘On the evening of the accident, I attended an organized fireworks display at a local rugby club, before joining my friends at a nearby park. I remember someone lighting a firework, but it didn’t go off as intended, so I went over to relight it.
‘It exploded instantly, knocking me to the floor. When people say don’t play with fireworks, listen. I know it can be tempting to break the rules and have a bit of fun, but fireworks are incredibly dangerous.
‘They are not something you should mess around with, as they can cause serious, life-changing injuries.
‘I’m now much more cautious when attending firework displays because I never want to take the risk of something like this happening again.’
Consultant oculoplastic and orbital surgeon, Gar-Yun Wong, worked closely with Aleks throughout his recovery.
He said: ‘Bonfire Night is always a worrying time as an eye consultant. Accidents can happen in an instant and can result in life-changing eye injuries or even permanent sight loss.
‘We strongly encourage people to attend organized firework displays and never return to or handle a lit firework.’
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