Car Accident

Published on: June 12, 2025

Four Children Dead, Nine Injured in Florida Suspected Drunk Driving Crash. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Victims for 48 Years.

A drunk driving suspect ploughed through a popular Fort Myers taco stand Monday, killing at least four children and injuring nine other people.

Luis Alejando Velasquez Herrera, 20, of Fort Myers, was charged with one count of driving under the influence and nine counts of being involved in a DUI crash with property damage or personal injury, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The incident happened around 11:15 p.m. Monday at the La Mexicana Taco Stand on Palm Beach Boulevard.

Velasquez Herrera is accused of striking the outdoor seating area, which consists of picnic style tables situated beneath the shade of a tent. At least two families were in the area at the time. The children who were killed include a 16-year-old, a 15-year-old, a 9-year-old, and a toddler, 3. The other nine who were injured were taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Published on: April 22, 2025

Man Florida Cops Say Killed Motorcyclist, ‘Mowed Down Good Samaritan’ Sentenced this Week.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Florida man who was accused of crashing into a motorcyclist before plowing into a Good Samaritan in a deadly crash was sentenced Wednesday, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The 41-year-old driver was charged with two counts of driving under the influence manslaughter, vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to five terms of life in prison by the State Attorney’s Office for the 18^th Judicial Circuit. These sentences will run concurrently.

The incident happened in March 2021 on S.R. 46 in Sanford, about 25 miles north of Orlando. The man allegedly hit the motorcyclist then, while doing a U-turn, hit a one in a group of Good Samaritans who were trying to render aid, according to the newspaper. After hitting Campbell, the driver drove off the side of the road until he hit a fence and came to a stop in a trench.

Published on: April 18, 2025

Golf Cart Driver in Tampa Killed After Driver Takes Red Light, FHP says. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Victims and Families for 48 Years.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 71-year-old golf cart driver died following a crash at a senior living community in which another driver took the red light, according to officials with the Florida Highway Patrol.

The woman died from her injuries around 8 a.m. Wednesday near Sun City Center, a 55+ community with chains in other states such as South Carolina, Texas, Nevada, Georgia and more. The woman had the green light when she was crossing Sun City Center Boulevard, a six-lane road, in a Yamaha golf cart.

A 31-year-old driver in a Ramp ProMaster van did not stop at the red light and hit the woman, causing a fatal T-bone accident, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Published on: March 27, 2025

Children Hospitalized on U.S. 1 Near Multi-Day Miami- Dade Wildfire

By Leesfield & Partners

Four people, including three minors, were hospitalized Friday following a crash near multi-day wildfires that raged on U.S. 1 in Miami-Dade.

The crash happened around 1 p.m. near Mile Marker 121 on U.S. 1, involving multiple vehicles. Three children and one adult were taken to local hospitals and one child had to be airlifted. No names or other identifiers have been released as of Tuesday morning.

In reporting from NBC 6 South Florida, reporters said that officials described at least two of the children as trauma patients.

Published on: February 14, 2025

Driver, Florida Cop in Pursuit Hit and Kill Pedestrian in Chase, officials say

By Leesfield & Partners

A pedestrian died after being hit by a man allegedly fleeing police and the officer in pursuit, according to authorities.

The incident happened Wednesday evening when an officer with the Orlando Police Department (OPD) was driving an unmarked Ford F-150 was pursuing a blacked-out car with no lights on, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

The driver in the car, identified as Dornell Bargnare, 30, is accused of attempting to flee the officer.

Published on: February 5, 2025

Pickup Truck Driver Faces Charges After Driving Through Liquor Store, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

An elderly pickup truck driver faces charges after police accused him of driving drunk through a liquor store, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage over the weekend in Alachua County, Florida.

The driver was charged with driving under the influence, a first-degree misdemeanor, according to court records. The Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg will not be naming the man as he was not charged with a felony.

Police say they were called out following reports of the crash around sunset on Thursday, Jan. 30, to the liquor store, which is about a 70-mile drive southwest from Jacksonville. When they arrived, they found that the pickup truck had driven through the storefront. Officers conducted a field sobriety test which they say he performed “poorly” on before he was taken to jail.

Published on: January 30, 2025

Elementary School Principal and Teacher in Brevard County Face Charges After 100 Kids Found Drinking at Party, Florida cops say

By Leesfield & Partners

An elementary school principal and teacher face multiple charges after police broke up a house party where over 100 minors were drinking, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan, 47, of Cocoa Beach, was charged with an open house party, a liquor law violation, and contributing to a child’s delinquency. Both of these charges are misdemeanors in Florida. Hill-Brodigan also faces a felony charge of child neglect without great bodily harm, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. She was granted a $3,500 bond and released Saturday.

Hill-Brodigan is a principal at Roosevelt Elementary School, which is a part of the Brevard County School District.

Published on: January 24, 2025

Boy, 6, Killed by Drunk Driver. Now, police say they’ve found the man responsible.

By Leesfield & Partners

Police have released the name of a man they believe is responsible for the death of a 6-year-old on a bicycle who was killed in a Florida neighborhood on Jan. 18, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Francisco Arriola, 53, was charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, DUI 3^rd violation, operating a vehicle without a license causing death and running a stop sign, according to media. The incident happened around 5 p.m. on Jan. 18 in an Apopka mobile home park about a 20-mile drive northwest of Orlando. The child was riding his bike when police say Arriola, in a 2003 Chevy Suburban, ran a stop sign and hit him.

The child was taken to AdventHealth Apopka where he later died from his injuries.

Published on: January 24, 2025

Florida Child, 11, Dies after Hit by Car While Walking from School Bus Stop, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

A sixth grader who was it by a car while walking away from her school bus died Thursday from her injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 11-year-old girl was dropped off by her school bus around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in Brooksville, a city in Hernando County about 50 miles north of Tampa, when a woman, 65, in a Toyota Corolla hit her. The child was walking north along the unpaved and unmarked road at the time of the crash, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. It was not immediately clear if the woman was speeding.

The child was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. She died Thursday.

Published on: December 18, 2024

Self-Driving Taxis in Miami? A Look Back at Motor Vehicle Crash Litigation at Leesfield & Partners

By Leesfield & Partners

Thanks to recent advancements in autonomous vehicle technology, self-driving cars are no longer a thing of the past, and driverless robotaxis may soon be available for transit in Miami.

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced it expects to bring these taxis to Miami, making the city the fifth in the U.S. with this service. The company currently boasts 150,000 weekly rides, all without drivers, in cities like San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

The decision, however, has not come without controversy. A federal investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Waymo vehicle collisions with a fixed object in May. In addition to these collisions, incidents in which the cars allegedly went the wrong way down the road and ran through traffic lights are what prompted the investigation.