A Hartlepool family is urging people to follow firework safety advice this Bonfire Night, after a firework accident left their son with life-changing injuries.
17-year-old Aleks Stasiukiewicz from Hartlepool lost his left eye in a tragic firework-related accident in November 2024.
Now, Aleks and his mum have joined forces with University Hospitals Tees to raise awareness of firework safety and to thank the NHS teams who helped him recover.
Aleks said: “On the evening of the accident, I attended an organised 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.
Aleks’ mum Julie rushed to the scene, after receiving the devastating news.
She said: “Aleks had left the house earlier in the evening to go to an organised firework display. Just hours later, I received a call from his friend telling me he’d been hit in the face with a firework. 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. “
In addition, he had also suffered minor burns to his arm and leg and broken his front tooth.
Specialist oncoplastic surgeons removed fragments of firework residue from his eye socket and inserted a ball-shaped prosthesis 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.”
Aleks said: ” 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.”
Firework safety advice
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 organised firework displays and never return to or handle a lit firework.”