Dariusz Kmiecik, Brygida Frosztęga-Kmiecik and Remigiusz Kmiecik. The tenth anniversary of the death of journalists and their son

The explosion in the tenement house at the corner of Chopina and Sokolska streets in Katowice occurred early in the morning on October 23, 2014.

Firefighters have been looking for three people in the rubble of the collapsed tenement house since the morning. Just before midnight they found the bodies of a man, a woman and a child. It turned out to be Dariusz Kmiecik, a reporter of “Fakty” TVN, his wife Brygida Frosztęga-Kmiecik, a reporter of TVP Katowice, and their two-year-old son Remigiusz.

Dariusz Kmiecik was 33 years old when he died. He repeated that journalism is not only his job, but also his passion, but initially he dreamed of becoming an IT specialist. Only at the end of high school did he change his mind and decided to study sociology at the University of Silesia. He did not hide the fact that he got into the media by accident. In 2001, he completed a student internship at TVP Katowice. He stayed longer. He developed as a reporter, then became a publisher.

In November 2006, he started working at “Fakty” TVN, with which he was associated until the tragic accident. During eight years of work at “Fakty”, he became one of the best television reporters in the country.

He was an expert on Silesia, from Chorzów. He has prepared dozens of materials about mining and miners. He was equally passionate about Himalayan mountaineering. He carefully reported on one of the most important and tragic expeditions of Polish mountaineers to Broad Peak. He later prepared a report about it, “Broad Peak, Conquerors of History”.

For his reportage “Artur Hajzer. Subjectively” about a mountaineer who died on the Gaszerbrum I slope, he received the second prize and the audience award at the 11th Krakow Mountain Film Festival.

Dariusz Kmiecik also loved football. In his free time he practiced this sport. He supported the TVN team during charity football matches.

As a result of a gas explosion in the tenement house, his wife, Brygida Frosztęga-Kmiecik – a valued and awarded journalist, and their two-year-old son – Remigiusz, also died.

In January 2015, at the request of the National Broadcasting Council, the President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski posthumously awarded Dariusz and Brygida the Golden Crosses of Merit.

In order to honor the memory of the tragically deceased journalist, at the initiative of friends and colleagues, an internal Reporter Competition named after Marcin Pawłowski and Dariusz Kmiecik. The names of the winners and finalists are announced in December.