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Published on: July 2, 2024

Lawsuit Filed in Case of City of Doral Police Department Officers injured in April shooting at Martini Bar

Two police officers with the City of Doral Police Department are suing a local bar, its managing company, a security company and one other after a man was allowed inside the location with a gun.

The shooting happened on April 6, 2024, at the Martini Bar Doral, located at 3450 NW 83rd Ave., Suite 144. The two officers, Andre A. Romo and Ricardo A. Acevedo, were patrolling the area on off-duty detail when a dispute broke out involving 37-year-old Jamal Wayne Wood who entered the bar with a gun. The shooting resulted in the death of a security guard and the injury of seven others, including the two responding officers. Wood was also killed that night by responding officers.

Acevedo and and Romo responded to the scene after seeing the chaos of fleeing patrons. Both officers were injured by the stampede of customers as they tried to get inside to stop Wood’s rampage. Wood aimed and shot at Romo and Acevedo and the other officers who responded to the scene. Romo was “dangerously close” to being hit and Acevedo was shot in the leg, mere centimeters from his femoral artery, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Attorney with Leesfield & Partners, P.A..

Published on: June 28, 2024

Florida beachgoer impaled by umbrella adds new fear for sunbathers. What dangers should you be on the lookout for this summer?

By Leesfield & Partners

When sunscreen is applied and the sound of crashing waves lulls linen-clad beachgoers into placidity, the last thing they want to think about is the potential for hazards.

But, as recent Florida headlines have shown, there are numerous dangers to be wary of, even in paradise.

Reports of an umbrella striking an 85-year-old woman, going straight through her leg, Saturday on Coco Beach have flooded recent news feeds. The woman was sitting on a beach when a nearby rental umbrella flew free from its restraints and hit her, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. First responders cut the umbrella’s canopy to make the injury “less” painful for the woman before she was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Published on: June 24, 2024

Tragic drowning of three men Friday at Florida beach ahead of the July Fourth holiday acts as chilling reminder about water safety

By Leesfield & Partners

Three Alabama tourists drowned Friday at a Bay County, Florida beach after getting caught in a rip current

The men, ranging in age from their early to mid-20s, were visiting Florida’s panhandle with friends, according to reporting from NBC News South Florida. Their death comes just one week before July Fourth celebrations, a holiday that is projected to bring millions of travelers to the state. The three men in Friday’s tragic incident were caught in the rip current by 8 p.m. The U.S. Coast Guard and local emergency services were called out to the beach where the men were seen struggling in the water. Rescuers searched for two hours and the three men were taken to a local hospital where they died from their injuries.

Rip currents are narrow channels of fast-moving water that can quickly trap swimmers. NOAA advises swimmers caught in a rip current to swim parallel to the shore instead of directly to avoid drowning because of fatigue.

Published on: June 5, 2024

Several years after Leesfield & Partners founder Ira Leesfield protested the use of E-bikes and scooters in Coconut Grove, data shows he was right to object.

By Leesfield & Partners

Whether it’s whizzing past unsuspecting pedestrians on sidewalks or garnering virality online, it is clear E-bikes, and irresponsible operators, are becoming more prominent in South Florida.

In May, a video showing a man on an E-scooter carrying a passenger and also towing another friend on a standard bicycle gained traction online. If on a residential road, or even a sidewalk, one might think the video to be funny, however, it is clear that the scooter is speeding full-force down the shoulder of a Miami highway. Dumbfounded drivers can be seen slowing down in the video to get a good look at the incredulous scene. A woman heading toward Downtown Miami on her E-Scooter recently was also recorded merging lanes and cruising down a Miami highway. Online critics bashed the move as irresponsible and a reason as to why there are so many accidents in the city.

Unfortunately, the narrative surrounding these videos is not an uncommon one. It seems that every day there is a new clip online of E-transport users testing their limits, creating hazards for distracted drivers and leaving themselves and others vulnerable to injury. The latest available data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission states that there was a 21% increase from 2021 to 2022 in injuries involving these electric modes of transportation in the United States. Minors 14 years old and younger make up a “significant” amount of the reported injuries, according to reporting from CBS Miami.

Published on: May 21, 2024

Miami Trolley Hits Man Trying to Retrieve Bicycle in Little Havana, police say. Are pedestrian deaths on the rise?

By Leesfield & Partners

Any pedestrian crossing the street on U.S. 1 or trekking down the sidewalk on Kendall Drive during rush hour knows to remain vigilant. Drivers in Miami have been known to text behind the wheel, speed, take traffic laws as suggestions and honk when unnecessary. The joke that Miami’s distracted drivers don’t know what they are doing is shared among coworkers, friends and grocery store clerks alike with a disapproving shake of their heads.

It is only when there is a horrific and violent crash that cannot be undone that the chuckling stops and people are reminded of just how dangerous the roads can be.

What happened?

Published on: May 21, 2024

Ocala driver charged after driving drunk in crash that killed 8, injured 38. How Leesfield & Partners does its part to fight for families and eradicate the prevalence of impaired drivers on the road.

By Leesfield & Partners

People all over the world rely on public transportation to get them where they need to go every day. They go to work, school and are expected to come home safely. Sadly, that was not the case for at least 46 people last week in Marion County after a bus rollover crash killed eight farm workers on board and injured 38 others.

According to a statement from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were 53 people aboard a bus just before 7 a.m. on May 14 when it had a sideswipe crash with a 2001 Ford Ranger private truck. The bus went off the road following the crash, through a fence and later rolled over.

At least eight of the 38 passengers who were injured were reported to be in critical condition, according to the Miami Herald. The driver of the truck involved in the incident, 41-year-old Bryan Maclean Howard, of Ocala, was charged Tuesday with eight counts of driving under the influence and manslaughter. Details on the name of the transportation company that operated the bus in the crash were not immediately available.

Published on: April 16, 2024

48 Years of Growth through Quality – Leesfield & Partners, P.A. leads Florida Personal Injury Practice!

By Leesfield & Partners

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Clients:

Good news as we enter our 48th year! We now added three trial lawyers and one appellate lawyer to assist in our quality service to you, your clients and contacts. Over the years, we have developed one of Florida’s most diverse personal injury practices in State and Federal Court, working with lawyers and strategic alliances in every state. Your loyalty is appreciated as we go forward with our commitment to bringing the highest and best results possible.

Over four decades, and in recent years, we have forged unique and groundbreaking theories of law in practice areas that have helped thousands of clients recover for the harmful acts of others. For instance:

Published on: November 15, 2023

Leesfield & Partners and the Leesfield Family Foundation continue to support Give Miami Day and The Melissa Institute

By Leesfield & Partners

Early Giving is now OPEN!

Join the giving club early. You can donate funds or time now through Give Miami Day!

Give Miami Day, the annual philanthropic event that serves as a pivotal platform for charitable giving and community engagement in Miami, Florida, is NOW!

Published on: June 28, 2023

Insights from Leesfield & Partners: HB 837 and Its Implications on Personal Injury

By Leesfield & Partners

On June 21, 2023, Attorney Michael Shepherd of Leesfield & Partners delivered a comprehensive Continuing Legal Education (CLE) presentation concerning HB 837, Florida’s recent tort reform legislation, to the esteemed members of the Coral Gables Bar Association. In his capacity as a newly elected board member of the association, this speaking engagement served as an exceptional opportunity for the attendees to acquaint themselves with Mr. Shepherd and his legal practice. michael-shepherd

During his discourse, Michael provided an insightful analysis of the implications of the new law on his personal injury practice, along with the strategies he employs to overcome potential challenges encountered by Florida personal injury plaintiffs. Notably, he addressed the novel frameworks introduced by section 768.0427 for the calculation of damages, shedding light on pertinent aspects such as changes to negligent security law and the concept of comparative fault.

Furthermore, he elucidated the additional prerequisites for pursuing a bad faith claim against insurance companies as stipulated by the legislation. Of considerable importance, Michael dedicated a significant portion of his presentation to the contentious issue of the potential retroactive application of HB 837, offering the audience two contrasting trial orders that exemplified opposing viewpoints. This engaging session was followed by inquiries from the attendees, including queries pertaining to the inclusion of instructions related to comparative fault in jury deliberations, as well as the prospective impact of HB 837 on litigation costs incurred by injured plaintiffs.

Published on: July 12, 2021

Leesfield & Partners, leads the nation in shipboard medical negligence cases

By Leesfield & Partners

Once again, the team at Leesfield & Partners has achieved important success for passengers who become ill or otherwise require evacuation from cruise ships for medical needs.

In the matter of the Estate of Jeffrey Eisenman v. Carnival Cruise Lines, former Chief Judge James Lawrence King has denied the defendant’s Motion to Dismiss and further denied defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment against plaintiffs’ claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Jeffrey Eisenman was seriously ill while ship was docked at port. The family purchased evacuation insurance and pleaded with the Captain and medical crew to transport Mr. Eisenman to a location with adequate medical facilities. The cruise line refused to evacuate and set sail for Puerto Rico, 21 hours away. Mr. Eisenman died 14 hours later during the voyage. His family was grief-stricken. To make matters worse, the cruise line refused to have Mr. Eiseman’s body removed from the ship, forcing family members to stay onboard with their deceased father for the entire cruise. The Eiseman case joins five other seven figure recent results obtained by the firm for failures to provide adequate medical care or otherwise make proper arrangements to obtain appropriate medical attention. These failures resulted in passenger deaths, and life altering conditions, which were avoidable and unnecessary.

Additional cases include: