'I watched his eye leak down his face' - teen says 'listen' in firework plea

'I watched his eye leak down his face' - teen says 'listen' in firework plea 17-year-old Aleks Stasiukiewicz lost his left eye after going to check an unlit firework - now he is warning it's not worth 'breaking the rules for a bit of fun' A mum has told how she watched as her son's eye "leaked down his face" after an unexploded firework went off he checked it out. Aleks Stasiukiewicz was knocked to the ground when firework suddenly exploded as he reached it. By the time his mother arrived minutes later after being called by friends he was already in an ambulance ready to go to hospital. She said: "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." The 17-year-old was rushed to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough where consultants confirmed he had lost his left eye and part of his eyelid as well as suffering minor burns to his arm and leg and broken his front tooth. Specialist oculoplastic surgeons removed fragments of firework residue from his eye socket and inserted a ball-shaped prosthesis to replicate the movement of a real eye. Now the teenager is urging others not to make the same mistake "just for a bit of fun". He 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." Now, two years on from the accident in November 2024, Aleks and his mum, Julie, are joining with University Hospitals Tees to raise awareness of firework safety. And they also want to thank the NHS teams who helped him recover and regain some normality after his injuries. 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." Julie told how she rushed to the scene, after receiving a call from one of Aleks' friends. 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." 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." Oculoplastic surgeons are specialist eye surgeons who treat injuries and conditions affecting the eyelids, tear ducts and eye socket. 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."