Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
A beloved school crossing guard in Orange Park, Florida, was seriously injured when she was hit by a car just two days into the new school year, according to reporting from Action News Jax.
The incident occurred Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the intersection of Gano Avenue and Miller Street. The crossing guard — known affectionately by the students she dutifully protects each morning as “Miss Sherry or Aunt Sherry” — was outside of Grove Park Elementary School when she was hit, local media reported.
Miss Sherry, whose full name was not released, was wearing her high-visibility safety vest and carrying a stop sign at the time of the crash. Police said that the driver immediately stopped and is “cooperating with the investigation.” Miss Sherry was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and the investigation is ongoing.
Urging safety, law enforcement and school officials pleaded with drivers to slow down in the area and remain alert. For the community, news of Miss Sherry’s accident has been shocking and indicates an ongoing problem.
“Y’all need to slow these cars down,” one woman, who identified herself as a “long-time friend” of Miss Sherry’s, told reporters. “There are babies out here. Your baby cold have got hit. That’s not a good thing. Slow down.”
As a personal injury law firm, Leesfield & Partners has represented countless pedestrians and victims of motor vehicle accidents. Over the years, the firm has obtained numerous record verdicts and settlements on behalf of victims and grieving families, earning it a reputation in both Florida and throughout the nation.
Leesfield & Partners
Our skilled trial attorneys take on cases with the diligence and tenacity necessary to return the best possible outcome for every client. Leesfield & Partners delivers personalized representation, building connections with the people our firm represents that have lasted long after a case has concluded.
In five decades of personal injury practice, Leesfield & Partners has been a part of some of the most complex and fascinating cases in the state and has even bene the catalyst for statewide regulations and safety reform, such as carbon monoxide detectors in Florida and industry-wide highchair safety regulations.
“I’ve tried malpractice cases, products liability cases, construction, Federal Tort Claims Act cases, child sexual abuse, everything imaginable,” Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, told reporters with the Daily Business Review in a previous interview. “I’ve actually been about as eclectic in my practice as anybody I know, maybe more so … Our cases come from all over the world.”
In Miami-Dade County, where the firm operates one of its Florida offices, Leesfield & Partners obtained a $95 million verdict for a grieving family, the largest motor vehicle accident verdict in the county’s history. That case involves a young medical student who was being dropped off at the airport by her family to attend her school’s orientation when a drunk driver speeding down the wrong side of I-95 hit the family’s car head-on. The young woman’s 21-year-old brother suffered permanent injuries that have left him requiring a wheelchair and round-the-clock care. Tragically, the family’s daughter did not survive. She was 23.
At trial, a jury awarded $57 million to the son and $38 million to the parents. At the time it was obtained, this verdict was also reported to be the fourth-largest car accident-related verdict in the state.
Florida Crash Data
As of mid-August 2026, there have been approximately 32,639 crashes in Miami Dade County, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Crash Dashboard. Of these collisions, about 139 people have died and nearly 15,340 were injured. At least six bicyclists were killed and 22 motorcyclists died on Miami-Dade County roads in 2026. There have been over 1,300 pedestrian crashes that have resulted in the deaths of at least 38 people.
Previous Pedestrian Cases
Leesfield & Partners obtained an $8.5 million settlement following a $27 million arbitration award for the family of a young woman who was killed by a pickup truck driver while trying to cross the street. The woman, a wife and mother of two, was visiting Florida from her home in Toronto, Canada, when she was crushed by a pickup truck. The driver in that case claimed to not have seen her.
In the case of a woman who was walking back to her office following a midday break, Partner Justin B. Shapiro secured the maximum recoverable amount set forth in the defendant’s insurance policy limits. The woman was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when a pickup truck driver made an illegal left turn, claiming to not have seen her. Injuries to our client included skull fractures and brain hemorrhages in addition to injuries to her left leg.
A $6 million settlement was secured for the client in that case.
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 settled a pedestrian case in which our client was hit while walking on the sidewalk by a driver who was distracted by a cellphone. That case was resolved with a $1.5 million settlement.
In a tragic, fatal pedestrian case, Leesfield & Partners secured over $1.3 million for a driver’s negligence.
A child who was crossing the street suffered a traumatic brain injury after a driver hit him. In that case, Leesfield & Partners secured a $1.2 million settlement for the Fort Lauderdale family.
A pedestrian who was hit and killed in a bus accident involving a commercial bus company, the firm obtained a $1 million award for the family.
A case involving a trucking company whose employee negligently hit and injured our client was resolved with a $1 million recovery.
Another pedestrian case involving a negligent driver was resolved with a $600,000 award for our client.
