A Green Bay man, whose high-speed ride on a country road ended in tragedy, will spend one hour at the grave of the girl who died in the crash on the anniversary of her death, for 10 years.
He will also spend three years in prison.
A teenage girl died and two friends riding in the back seat were seriously hurt when Brandon Bosacki lost control of the car and crashed on Oak Orchard Road in Pensaukee in June 2012.
The 21-year-old college student said because of the injuries he suffered, he doesn’t remember what happened, but admitted he was driving too fast.
“I regret it every day of my life,” he said at his sentencing hearing July 10.
Judge Michael Judge sentenced Brandon Bosacki to a 10-year term, three years in prison and seven years of probation, for the death of Jamie Bialozynski, 17, of Abrams.
Bosacki was also sentenced to three additional years of probation, for causing severe injuries to two other passengers, Heidi Peterson and Rylee Weed, both of Abrams.
In May, Bosacki pleaded no contest to reduced charges and was found guilty.
Judge said he chose a three-year prison sentence over the five-year term recommended by District Attorney Ed Burke because the presentence investigation revealed the strength of Bosacki’s character.
“Without the consequences of his acts of June 12 before us today, you would look at him as being an exemplary, ordinary, normal, responsible young man,” Judge said.
“You could not ask for a better son,” testified Bosacki’s father, Scott, his voice cracking. He said his son is a respectful, hard-working and goal-oriented young man who works two jobs to put himself through college.
“This is out of character for him, and he would never do anything to cause harm to others,” he said.
Bosacki’s math instructor from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and a friend also testified on his behalf.
Defense attorney Avram Berk recommended a six-month jail term and three years of probation, which would include presentations by Bosacki to students to tell of his experience. Judge included this condition in his sentence, ordering Bosacki to visit local high schools three times a year while on probation.
Reading from a prepared statement, Bosacki tearfully apologized to Bialozynski’s parents.
“I’m responsible for their pain and suffering. My actions that night were not responsible, and I’m ashamed of myself and the hurt I caused,” he said.
Bosacki wept as he spoke, taking off his glasses to wipe away tears when he finished his statement.
“There’s nothing more that I want than Jamie back,” he said.
Jamie Bialozynski’s mother, Arlene, told of the torture her family has suffered since her daughter’s death.
“She’s on our mind every single day. To go to work, we have to pass that accident scene every day,” Bialozynski said. “That is very hard.”
Arlene Bialozynski wept as she described her daughter as an excellent student who was looking forward to being captain of the cheerleading squad.
“We didn’t even get to see her graduate this year. We lost everything, and there’s no replacing her,” she said.
“I’m basically just lost without her. I miss her,” said her father, Michael.
Weed told of the back and hip pain she suffers, the sharp pain from the scar where her spleen was removed, and her constant headaches and memory loss. Crying, she told of the emotional harm—the anger, the sense of loss, the stress.
“I don’t want to get too close to anyone anymore because I’m afraid they’re going to get taken away from me, like Jamie did,” she said.
Heidi Peterson’s mom, Tina, said she could have lost her job while taking time off to care for the serious injuries of her daughter, who still may require surgery.
“I don’t know what you were thinking, but the injuries you caused my daughter will be with her the rest of her life, whether or not she heals, not only physically but mentally, ” she said.
Judge said Bosacki’s actions were not a split-second response, but a series of stupid decisions, each becoming more dangerous: Bosacki didn’t ensure everyone wore seat belts, drove at speeds close to 90 mph while the girls screamed in the back seat, ran through a stop sign, then turned off his headlights before he lost control and crashed.
“We have Jamie Bialozynski dead and Heidi Peterson and Rylee Weed horribly injured and having to endure that emotional and physical pain and suffering for the remainder of their lives,” Judge said.
He said nothing will replace the loss suffered by Jamie Bialozynski’s parents.
“They’re going to have a permanent void. You took away the most precious gift they had — a child,” Judge said.
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