Samuel Armstrong leaves a Shawano County courtroom after a hearing Dec. 6, 2023, on charges he rolled a barrel with fuel onto a bonfire near Pulaski, causing an explosion. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A second defendant named in a civil lawsuit filed in connection with a bonfire explosion near Pulaski admits he was there, but denied any responsibility for the explosion and injuries.
Benjamin Van Asten; Isaac Nelson and his parents; Brady McAllister and his father; and Brandon Brzeczkowski filed separate civil lawsuits last month against the same three defendants: Allan Eron, Samuel Armstrong and Tyler Frisch. They were some of those injured when a partially filled drum of diesel and gasoline was tossed on to a fire at a home in the town of Maple Grove on Oct. 14, 2022, causing an explosion.
Frisch previously filed his formal responses, denying responsibility for the incident. On Tuesday, Armstrong’s response was filed. Eron has yet to file his reply.
In his filing, Armstrong admits his presence at the bonfire but denied other allegations of responsibility.
As affirmative defenses, Armstrong offered several arguments, including: “any injuries or damages allegedly sustained by Plaintiff were solely and proximately caused and contributed to by the Plaintiff’s own contributory negligence”, “any damages allegedly sustained by the Plaintiff were solely and proximately caused and contributed to by the negligence of third parties”, and “any acts or omissions on the part of this answering Defendant is relieved and excused by the superseding and intervening acts and omissions of other individuals and/or entities.”
Armstrong’s attorney asks for the case to be dismissed.
No hearings have been scheduled.
Only Armstrong faces charges in adult criminal court, with a plea hearing scheduled for Feb. 5.
According to the criminal complaint, police responded to the Cedar Drive address in Maple Grove on Oct. 14, 2022, after multiple teens were admitted to local hospitals after the explosion.
When police talked to Armstrong, he said he had been asking someone who lives at the house “all night to throw the barrel in the fire and finally at approximately 10:50 pm, (that person) told him to “just do it.”
“After the barrel was thrown onto the fire, it was approximately half a second and the fire began shooting out. (Armstrong) indicated he backed away from the firepit and then went over to put the fire out that was burning VICTIM #4,” the complaint states.
After the fire was out, several people assaulted Armstrong, he said.
“Armstrong was asked about his alcohol consumption. He stated he consumed approximately 6 drinks. He indicated he was drinking Bush (sic) Light,” the complaint states.
The complaint then details accounts from some of the others at the party.
“Upon (another teen) dropping the drum, Samuel Armstrong took his end of the drum and threw it into the flames of the fire. Instantaneously, I felt a really high volume of heat on my face and observed a very large eruption of flame all around me. I then observed multiple people running from the area of the fire. Multiple people were actively burning,” one witness is quoted as saying.
The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department has said at least 17 teenagers suffered burn injuries out of about 60 that were at the bonfire.
Comments