Brandon Brzeczkowski with his family. PC: Fox 11 Online
PULASKI, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Eight months after a bonfire explosion seriously injured several teens in Shawano County, the victims are still waiting for charges to be filed against those responsible for the blast.
It was back in November when the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office recommended charges against two teenagers and the resident of the home where the explosion happened.
Eighteen-year-old Brandon Brzeczkowski, one of the victims, suffered burns on nearly 40-percent of his body. As he recovers, his family is advocating for him both medically and for justice.
Brandon Brzeczkowski is on the road to recovery. He parents Tammy and Bruce Brzeczkowski says, “I feel like we have Brandon back. Yeah. He can be his Brandon, like he was before. He’s very persistent, like he always was so that’s our Brandon.”
The soon-to-be 19-year old is still dealing with the injuries he sustained in the October 2022 bonfire explosion, but his parents say he’s getting stronger every day. He’s spending time on the golf course, cutting grass, and he even went salmon fishing on Father’s Day.
His mom says, “He’s not back to work, yet. So, we’re hoping once he gets fitted for the compressions, we’ll maybe get the okay so that he can maybe go back to work, at least part time.”
As Brzeczowski continues to work on his recovery, he and his family continue to wait for the case against those accused of putting the partially filled 55-gallon drum of diesel fuel, on the fire that led to the explosion, to be charged.
According to his dad, Bruce Brzeczkowski, “Actually, somebody called me back and they said watch for a letter in the mail in the next 30 days as this stuff is going to be proceeding. And that’s been two weeks, so far, and we haven’t received any letters yet and so we’re hoping in the next couple of weeks we do receive. It’s better than what I’ve had before, when no one called back, and everyone’s lawyer is calling. They want to get this thing rolling too and get it done with and so kind of waiting for that letter to let us know what the next step is.”
It’s been months since the Sheriff’s Office recommended charges be filed against three people, for their involvement in the explosion. A 16-year old from Brown County was sentenced earlier this year in juvenile court to 40-hours of community service for his role in the incident. But a 17-year old from Green Bay, who is an adult in the eyes of the law, as well as the man who lived at the property where the explosion took place, haven’t been charged yet.
“It’s not fair to everyone involved. It’s not just us, there’s other kids involved, and other people involved and even the kids that were at the fire and are having issues sleeping at night. I mean it’s just fair to everyone to have a fast trial and get this over with,” adds Tammy Brzeczkowski.
Gregory Parker, the Shawano County District Attorney, says his office is short-staffed, and this is a complex case that is taking time to charge.
The DA says he’s been talking with the defense attorneys of the two men he expects to charge, because once he files charges, he wants the case to move quickly.
He wouldn’t elaborate on those discussions. But he says charges could be filed in the next four to six weeks.
In the meantime, the Brzeczkowskis are focused on their son’s recovery and their family, admitting to taking a step back from some of their community involvement, adding, “There’s an area that we really need to focus more on, it’s us, it’s our family and that’s what really matters in the end and that’s where we’ve got to focus.”
And they hope for resolution in the court of law, sooner rather than later, so everyone involved in this incident can move forward.
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