[1] The organizer and guide of the tragically ended expedition,[4] as well as one of the two group supervisors, was Mirosław Szumny, a geography teacher and head of the school's sports club Pion, who had previously taken students on mountain trips multiple times but did not have formal qualifications to lead them.

At the mountain hut, Szumny spoke with the Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue worker Władysław Cywiński [pl], who – as stated in a letter to Michał Jagiełło [pl] in 2005 – strongly advised against climbing Rysy, suggested hiring a mountain guide, warned that the youths were not prepared for such a climb, and the groups were too numerous,[5] but he failed to convince Mirosław Szumny.

The impact was so strong that it cracked the ice cover on a large part of the lake's surface, even at a distance of over 200 meters from the shore, despite it having a thickness ranging from 70 to 100 centimeters.

Alternating temperature drops and warm-ups led to the formation of ice crusts, significantly hindering the bonding of new snow layers with existing ones.

Additionally, the weather conditions contributed to the formation of cup-shaped snow layers, which enable the occurrence of a "slab" avalanche.

A group of rescuers from the Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue found one person at the beginning, partially buried under the snow, a girl named Luiza, who had a broken arm and general bruises.

[10] At this point, many of them were convinced that the remaining victims were buried under its ice (this is the opinion expressed by Adam Marasek, one of the most experienced rescuers, among others);[6] this assumption later proved to be fully correct.

The crew managed to jump out of the aircraft (from a height of several meters) when the first engine stopped, and its members suffered only minor injuries.

Henryk Serda landed autorotationally in the village of Murzasichle,[7][15] but during the touchdown, the helicopter suffered serious damage (the tail beam was broken).

[10] The remaining six bodies, pushed under the ice of Czarny Staw, were only found in the spring, after the thaw; one of them was retrieved from a depth of 26 meters.

At the same time, it recognized that the suspect did not have the qualifications to lead the group and, contrary to the Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue's suggestions, did not hire a mountain guide.

[10] The court dismissed the charge of organizing the trip the previous day (January 27), as it deemed that although the teacher exposed the participants to danger, prosecution should proceed from a private complaint, which was not filed.

[18] During the second trial, Mirosław Szumny admitted to making mistakes in organizing the trip, stating that when going to the mountains with the youths, he was aware that an avalanche could occur and that there was no weather that would provide a sense of security.

[18][21] In 2016, Andrzej Matyśkiewicz,[21][13] whose two sons died in the avalanche, filed a civil lawsuit against the City Hall of Tychy, the teacher-organizer of the trip, and the school sports club for compensation of 700,000 PLN with interest.

[24] After the verdict became final, at the initiative of internet users from Tychy, two graduates of the Leon Kruczkowski High School organized a fundraiser on the zrzutka.pl platform, aiming to raise funds to pay the awarded compensation.