Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
At least 11 people were transported to the hospital after a boat appeared to have exploded over the weekend at Haulover Sandbar, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.
The incident occurred on Saturday, May 9, around 12:50 p.m. near Bal Harbour and involved a 40-foot cabin cruiser named “Nauti Nabors,” the newspaper said. The vessel is allegedly from Sherman, Texas.
In videos that surfaced online showing the aftermath, people could be seen jumping from one vessel to another in a supposed effort to reach land. Another video showed the injured being carried away on stretchers with bandages on their legs while other videos blurred out injuries.
Some of the victims were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. One adult had burns that covered over 30% of his body while reports came in that a child was burned on more than 18%, reporters said.
A woman aboard the vessel told reporters with NBC 6 South Florida that she smelled gasoline just before the chaos.
“We didn’t cook on board; we brought everything already cooked,” Ruth Gutierrez, a woman who was aboard the boat with at least 12 other people, told reporters in Spanish. “Everything was already prepared, so we didn’t have to use anything from that boat.”
Gutierrez, who suffered burns to her arm and has already been released from the hospital, said that she instinctually threw herself into the water.
As of Sunday afternoon, authorities have yet to confirm whether the vessel actually exploded or what caused the incident. Afterward, the boat was docked near the Haulover Marine Center for several hours.
Leesfield & Partners
Florida has been regularly dubbed the boating capital of the world with over a million registered vessels belonging to tourists and locals alike. With offices in coastal cities like Key West and Miami, Leesfield & Partners has handled hundreds of boating injury cases over five decades of practice. In that time, the firm has successfully litigated cases involving negligent boaters and corporations responsible for clients’ injuries.
In addition to boating, the firm has a long history of litigating injuries acquired in a myriad of recreational water activities such as jet ski crashes and snorkeling, parasailing and scuba diving incidents. The firm’s success in these areas has made it among the nation’s leading personal injury firms. Leesfield & Partners has been regularly recognized nationally for its work and has secured leading verdicts and settlements throughout Florida.
Previously, the firm obtained a significant recovery for clients who were burned following an explosion of ammonium nitrate, fertilizer and gasoline aboard a commercial boat. A spark from the vessel’s portable gas pump started the explosion.
In an investigation of the incident, Leesfield & Partners’ attorneys found that the vessel was unseaworthy, and its crew was inadequately trained.
The firm also handled the case of a Cape Coral man injured in an explosion at his home. The defendant in that case was a cleaning company whose employee left the man’s house in a rush, allowing a knob of the propane gas grill on the patio that was being cleaned to remain on. The gas built up, resulting in the explosion.
Leesfield & Partners recovered the maximum insurance policy amount of $2 million for the man in that case.
In another case, the lives of a couple were forever changed when a gas line exploded in their hotel room. The two were celebrating their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic at the time. Both husband and wife were horrifically burned in the incident with the wife eventually succumbing to her injuries.
A case in which a company was liable for a fatal fire, Leesfield & Partners obtained a $600,000 result.
In a boating case that caused a minor to lose a leg, Leesfield & Partners recovered a substantial settlement for the negligent supervision of boating activities.
The firm previously represented a family whose 20-year-old daughter died after the boat she was on collided into a concrete dock. It was later discovered that the operator of the boat in that tragic case was drinking and speeding at night.
Over $1.3 million was secured for the family in that case.
A family who lost their son because of the negligent boating of another minor received $1.7 million. Not only did the boy who was driving the boat not stop when he hit our client’s son in the water, but he attempted to hide evidence from and lie to police when questioned. Neighbors later testified that he was known to regularly operate the boat in a reckless manner.
Over the last six years, Justin B. Shapiro, a Partner and Trial Lawyer at the firm, has secured more than $10 million for clients injured in jet ski crashes. This recreational water activity has proved to be the most dangerous, producing more injuries and fatalities than any other water-related practice area handled by the firm.
A previous case involving a Californian family on vacation in Florida shows the importance of responsible jet ski rental companies and the severe consequences when these companies fail their customers. In that case, the family hired jet ski tour guides, who were supposed to lead them through the waters and assist with operating the machinery. However, the guides repeatedly sped away from the family and failed to warn them about the strong currents around a narrow bridge opening.
As a result, our client violently crashed into a concrete bridge piling and was severely injured.
In a parasailing case, involving a mother and daughter who were vacationing on a cruise ship when they purchased the excursion, Leesfield & Partners secured $7.25 million for the grieving family. What should have been a lasting memory for the two ended in tragedy when a rope connected to the boat towing them suddenly snapped because of high winds. The two fell rapidly from the sky, causing catastrophic injuries to the daughter. The mother was killed in the incident.
