Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
A woman was in for a shock this week when the vehicle she was in was hit by a plane attempting a crash landing.
The incident happened around 5:45 p.m. in Brevard County on Monday, Dec. 8, on I-95, according to reporting from WSVN. The 27-year-old pilot was attempting to make an emergency landing following an engine failure.
Miraculously, the 57-year-old driver was taken to the hospital with only minor injuries. Onlookers described the car, a 2023 Toyota Camry, as “crushed” except for the driver’s side.
The pilot of the Beechcraft 55 airplane and a passenger, also 27, were uninjured. The plane appears to land on top of the vehicle before bouncing twice, then skidding onto the road.
A video capturing the harrowing ordeal has since gone viral online and WSVN reporters were able to speak with the Good Samaritans who stepped in following the crash.
“It was awful,” said Annie Wrigley who was with her husband and at least one of her two daughters, both nurses, the day of the crash. “I absolutely expected to see someone that was either bleeding or possibly even dead.”
The family waited for traffic to slow down so that they could dart across the street and check for injuries. They had some difficulty opening the car door, but were relieved to see the driver was mostly uninjured and described her as being “dazed.”
This incident is being investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners has been representing the victims of motor vehicle crashes and aviation accidents for nearly five decades. With numerous record verdicts and settlements secured by our skilled trial attorneys, the firm has become synonymous with what every injured client or grieving family is looking for — quality, compassion, and diligence.
In the past, the firm has handled aviation cases in which clients were injured due to mechanical failure, defective products from airplane manufacturers, pilot of other employee error, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and air traffic controller errors. Leesfield & Partners has decades of experience handling aviation cases, a practice area of personal injury law that requires specialized knowledge of aviation law and meticulous investigative skills. The firm has previously represented passengers, pilots and innocent bystanders injured or killed due to the negligence of corporations and individuals alike.
Previous Aviation Incidents
The firm previously handled an aviation case in which a 30-year-old co-pilot was killed in a crash due to an issue with the plane’s controls that went unnoticed during pre-flight checks.
The firm secured a $10 million recovery for the co-pilot’s family.
In another aviation case, the firm obtained over $8.5 million for the family.
In a devastating aviation case that resulted in the death of our client’s loved one, Leesfield & partners secured $5.4 million.
Ira Leesfield, Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, along with Mark A. Sylvester represented the family of a pilot after he and his mother were killed in a single-engine airplane crash. The lawsuit was filed against the plane manufacturer, a service facility and the FAA. In this case, FAA air traffic controllers failed to provide important weather information to the pilot, resulting in the crash amid a severe weather event.
The firm obtained a $2,850,000 settlement in that case.
In a crash involving a helicopter, Leesfield & Partners secured a $1.9 million recovery amount.
The firm also obtained over $1.8 million for a grieving family following a fatal crash.
In an aviation case involving a plane manufacturer, Leesfield & partners secured $630,000 for an injured client.
A Leesfield & Partners case that did not involve a crash but took place on an airplane resulted in life-long scaring to a child who was traveling as an unaccompanied minor. The airline’s employees were meant to be watching over the child but did not. This paved the way for a sick, adult passenger to sexually abuse the child during the flight unbeknownst to flight attendants.
A confidential settlement was obtained by the firm in that case.
Previous Motor Vehicle Crash Cases
Leesfield & Partners has seen just about every injury that can occur on Florida roads. From multi-car pileups to trucking crashes and pedestrian injuries, our attorneys represent every client with the tenacity and care necessary to secure the best possible outcome.
Previously, the firm represented the family of a 23-year-old prospective medical student whose life was tragically ended when a wrong-way drunk driver hit her and her family in a head-on collision in Miami. The family was on their way to drop their daughter off at the airport for her medical school orientation.
Also in the car was the young woman’s younger brother, 21. Not only did this family lose their daughter, but their son suffered permanent injuries as a result of this driver’s actions.
Leesfield & Partners represented the family at trial and obtained a $95 million verdict, marking the largest in the area’s history for a case of its kind. In that case, $57 million went to the son and $38 million was awarded to the parents.
“The result in this case shows what hard work and creative lawyering can do for clients with devastating injuries,” said Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner. “Along with co-counsel Aaron Davis, we are happy to settle with two defendants and to obtain this record verdict for them.”
Partner Justin B. Shapiro previously represented a family in a wrongful death motor vehicle case involving a pedestrian. A verdict of over $36 million was obtained for the family in that case.
Mr. Leesfield was honored with the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice’s Lawyer of the Year award, following a $19.8 million verdict against Honda Corp, and was chosen as one of America’s Top Ten Trial Lawyers.
The $19.8 million verdict involved a defect with a Honda motorcycle’s kickstand, which deployed while our 27-year-old client was in the middle of a ride. As a result of the kickstand deploying, his motorcycle spun out of control and caused a terrible crash that left him paralyzed. This verdict was one of several involving several companies with kickstand defects that injured motorcyclists all over the country.
A $15.4 million recovery was obtained for a Fort Lauderdale handyman who was injured as a backseat passenger in a high-speed motor vehicle accident. The man in that case was in a car that was stopped at a drawbridge when another car hit it from behind, causing skull fractures, frontal lobe brain damage and facial fractures.
As a result of his injuries, our client developed a seizure disorder that could not be controlled by medication. This ended the then-22-year-old’s career as a handyman in the area.
Leesfield & Partners previously represented the families of three teenage girls after they were struck by a commercial truck driver making an illegal U-turn on the turnpike. The girls in that case were on their way to the library when the driver turned directly into their path. Tragically, one girl was killed and the other two sustained serious injuries.
Our attorneys worked tirelessly to settle the case for over $8.6 million for the families. The firm also obtained an over $7.6 million arbitration award for the family who lost their daughter.
Mr. Shapiro settled a pedestrian case for $6 million, the maximum recoverable amount. The crash happened in October 2019 when our client was walking back to her office after a midday break. While she was in the marked crosswalk in broad daylight, a pickup truck driver suddenly made an illegal left turn.
As a result, she suffered horrific skull fractures, brain hemorrhages and significant injuries to her left leg. The driver claimed not to have seen our client despite clear visibility, the marked crosswalk and road signage.
In another pedestrian-involved case, Leesfield & Partners obtained a $2.9 million recovery our client who was injured due to a driver’s negligence.
The firm previously settled a pedestrian case for $1.2 million. The pedestrian in this case was a child who was hit while attempting to cross a street in Fort Lauderdale. As a result of the crash, our minor client hit his head on the pavement and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Previously, Mr. Shapiro represented a minor who was told to cross the street by a careless school bus driver just before he was struck in the road by a speeding driver. The boy suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the crash and had to be airlifted to the hospital.
Through an investigation and identifying what could have been an overlooked defendant, Mr. Shapiro discovered that the bus driver violated state law and endangered the students she was tasked with protecting. By not stopping as far right as possible and by not ensuring 200 feet of visibility in either direction from her bus, this driver risked the lives of several students and our client.
A confidential settlement was reached in that case.
Trial Attorney Bernardo Pimentel II settled a $1 million fatal car accident case on behalf of a family who tragically lost their 8-year-old daughter due to the negligence of a pharmaceutical delivery company’s employee. In that case, the company attempted to argue that this employee was an independent contractor, however, Mr. Pimentel argue that because this company exerted a certain level of control over this driver, – wearing a uniform and issuing a schedule he was obligated to follow – their claim was invalid. This level of control categorized him as an employee making the company liable for his reckless driving.
Trial Attorney Eric Shane recently obtained a confidential amount for a young passenger who was injured in a severe Florida crash.
Mr. Pimentel also settled a confidential case on behalf of a family whose 5-year-old son suffered serious injuries when he was hit by a car that crashed through the front of a Florida discount store.
Evan Robinson, a Leesfield & Partners Trial Attorney, previously secured a six-figure settlement on behalf of a client was injured in a Monroe County car accident.
In an ongoing case, Trial Attorney Carlos A. Fabano is handling a similarly tragic case in which our client, also in a wheelchair, was hit by a speeding driver. Our client underwent an amputation due to the severity of his injuries.
Mr. Shapiro is representing at least three pedestrians who were hit in separate incidents while attempting to cross the street in Miami-Dade County.
Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Shane are representing a 46-year-old motor scooterist out of Key West whose life was completely changed following a crash with a negligent driver. The man was left with a traumatic brain injury, a crushed left tibia and fibula. On the day of the crash, our client was approaching an intersection and had the right-of-way when a negligent driver with a stop sign failed to yield and caused a collision. Our client was ejected from his vehicle and his the driver’s windshield with such a force that it was significantly cracked. Since the crash, our client has remained at a long-term care and rehabilitation facility.
“Sadly, our client’s life has been destroyed by this crash and he remains in in-patient rehabilitation,” Mr. Shane said. “We are aggressively pursuing all avenues of recovery under the law.”
If you or a loved one was injured in a motor vehicle accident in Florida, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today for a free consultation at 800-836-6400.
