Five people have been hospitalized, including three children, after a boat collided with a docked vessel Saturday night in North Miami Beach.
The incident happened before 8 p.m. near Maule Lake and was caught on surveillance footage, according to reporting from Channel 10 News. A boat operator with seven passengers struck a docked boat. Everyone on board was ejected.
Good Samaritans rushed to help get people out of the water before first responders arrived, witnesses told local media.
The boat operator, identified Monday as 52-year-old Gabriel Salauis, was transported to a local hospital along with three children and a woman, according to reporting.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident.
Recent Incidents in Florida
On Sunday in Clearwater, Florida, a ferry carrying about 40 people was involved in a violent hit-and-run with another vessel. The vessel allegedly crashed into the ferry, which was carrying people to and from a sand sculpting competition, before fleeing the scene, according to local media. At least a dozen people were taken to the hospital for injuries and one person was killed.
Authorities told the media that they had identified the boat involved in the incident. No charges had been filed as of Monday morning.
These incidents come just about a month after the passage of House Bill 289, also known as “Lucy’s Law.” This law was named for 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez who was killed in a 2022 boating accident in which 14 passengers were ejected from a boat that hit a channel marker and capsized near Boca Chita Key. Lucy was a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy during the time of the incident and was on board the vessel to celebrate a friend’s birthday.
Also injured in that incident was Katy Puig, also a senior at Lourdes. Following the incident, Puig was in a three-month-long coma and is lucky to have survived, her family told reporters with NBC South Florida. She has since been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.
The boat operator of the vessel that day, George Pino, is set to go to trial in July on vessel homicide charges.
Since passing Lucy’s Law, any person convicted of boating under the influence faces a minimum sentence of four years in prison if they abandon the scene or do not contact law enforcement. Additionally, it requires boating safety cards and or other equivalent documents for residents who have lived in Florida for less than five years.
When Lucy’s Law was first proposed earlier this year, Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, was in full support.
“The dangers from boating incidents are entirely underestimated as South Florida becomes more congested, drinking on the water becomes more prevalent and distractions from cell phones and other devices increases,” he said. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
For decades, Leesfield & Partners has been dedicated to representing the victims of boating accidents and their loved ones.
Leesfield & Partners
With nearly five decades of trial experience, Leesfield & Partners attorneys are no stranger to the dangers present on Florida waters. From negligent and inexperienced boaters to those who recklessly choose to drink and boat, the firm has represented families through a myriad of tragic accidents. From three Florida offices in Key West, Miami and Orlando, Leesfield & Partners attorneys have been dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome for their clients, building a reputation as one of the top personal injury firms in the state.
Our skilled trial attorneys are incredibly experienced in maritime law litigation and have secured multiple record verdicts and settlements on behalf of injured clients across various practice areas. In addition to legal representation, Leesfield & Partners displays safety advisories in a bid to promote boating safety education and awareness every holiday weekend. These advisories are posted on the firm’s digital sign, which is located outside of the Leesfield & Partners Miami office on U.S.1 and is seen by thousands of commuters every day.
Previous Cases
Leesfield & Partners represented the family of a 20-year-old woman killed in a boat crash. The vessel in that case crashed into a concrete dock, ejecting our client’s beloved daughter and other passengers into the water. In an investigation, our attorneys discovered that not only was the boat operator speeding at night when it is difficult to see clearly, but he was also drinking.
The firm secured over $1.3 million in that case.
A substantial settlement was secured by our attorneys in the case of a minor who lost a leg in a boating incident while the adults in charge negligently failed to properly supervise the children in their care.
Leesfield & Partners also represented a family in the loss of their minor son. The child in that case was in the water when he was tragically hit and killed by another minor operating a boat on his own. The minor boat operator did not stop and, when he got home, attempted to cover up evidence and lied to police when questioned. Neighbors in that case testified that the minor boat operator was known to take out the vessel on his own and drive it recklessly.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Lawyer at the firm secured a settlement for the family of an expecting father and husband-to-be who was killed on the water. The man in that case was lobster-diving when he was hit by a law enforcement officer who did not adhere to divers-down flag laws in Monroe County.
If you or a loved one was involved in a boating accident in Florida, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 305-854-4900 to see if you may be eligible to make a claim.