Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
At least four people were pulled from the water after a boat slammed into a Fort Lauderdale seawall Friday evening, according to local media.
Emergency responders were called out to the Intracoastal Waterway near the Commercial Boulevard bridge in Fort Lauderdale around 7:30 p.m. The vessel’s operator allegedly lost control and hit the seawall, ejecting all four on board.
All four occupants were adults and were taken to the hospital for treatment. One person was treated for injuries related to near-drowning, another was taken to a trauma center with serious injuries, though these were non-life-threatening, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Two others had minor injuries.
Leesfield & Partners and Florida’s Latest Boat Crash Data
At Leesfield & Partners, a personal injury law firm with offices in Key West, Orlando and Miami, our attorneys know just how dangerous the water can be. In a state that welcomes millions of visitors each year — many with varying levels of experience in activities like boating, snorkeling, jet skiing, and scuba diving — tragedies are, unfortunately, not uncommon.
In 2024, the year with the latest data available, there were 685 reportable boating accidents in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Of these accidents, 76 were fatal, resulting in at least 81 deaths. Nearly 400 others were injured. The most common cause of these accidents was a collision with a fixed object such as an anchored vessel, a channel marker, bridge or dock. The lading cause of death was from drowning and the majority of these tragic incidents occurred in May, according to the data.
Major safety risks include boating under the influence, recklessness and speeding, and boater inexperience. Shockingly, 65% of operators involved in fatal accidents had no formal boater’s education. This ongoing issue has repeatedly been highlighted by Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, who continues to raise awareness about the risks of boater inexperience.
“The dangers from boating incidents are entirely underestimated as South Florida becomes more congested, drinking on the water becomes more prevalent and distractions from cell phones and other devices increases,” he said. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
The area with the most boat crashes in the state in 2024 was Miami-Dade County where our firm is headquartered. Leesfield & Partners has handled numerous boating accident cases for injured clients and their grieving families over the last 49 years of personal injury practice. During that time, the firm has secured numerous record and landmark verdicts across the state, underscoring critical safety issues and exposing glaring systemic gaps in need of urgent reform.
On July 1, Lucy’s Law went into effect in the state. This law — named after 17-year-old Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, a local high schooler who died in a tragic boating accident — aims to create stricter penalties for those operating a vessel under the influence and for boaters who leave the scene of a crash. In a recent interview with an iHeart Radio reporter, Partner Justin B. Shapiro said the law has made room for changes that are “long overdue.”
“I don’t understand why we need a driver’s license to drive a car but not a boater’s license to operate a boat when in many ways operating a boat is more difficult and more dangerous,” he said.
Previous Cases
Previously, the firm secured a substantial settlement in a case involving a minor who lost a leg while not being supervised on a vessel.
The firm previously handled the case of a family whose young son was snorkeling when he was hit and killed by a passing boater. The boater in that case was also a minor who should never have been given permission to operate the vessel without supervision. Not only did this minor not stop, but he attempted to cover up evidence and lied to police when questioned.
Neighbors later testified that this minor regularly operated the boat in a reckless manner.
The firm represented the family of a young woman, 20, who tragically died when the vessel she was on crashed into a concrete dock. The firm secured over $1.3 million for the family when it was revealed that the boat operator had been drinking and speeding the night of the crash.
In a jet ski and boat crash, Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured $935,750 for their client.
In a boat case involving a foreign resort, the firm secured an $800,000 recovery for the injured client.
Another boating accident involving a negligent operator resulted in a $500,000 recovery.
In addition to boating accident litigation, Leesfield & Partners have represented the victims of various water-related accidents, including drownings, jet ski crashes, parasailing, and other recreational activities.
The firm represented the widow of a man who drowned while on a boat tour at the Dry Tortugas National Park. The company’s tour guides instructed the man where he should go to snorkel and, within minutes, his body was found unresponsive.
The firm secured a six-figure recovery in that case.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Attorney at the firm, represented the family of a lobster diver and father-to-be who was killed due to the negligence of a law enforcement officer who did not adhere to divers-down flag laws.
If you or a loved one was involved in a boating incident in Florida, don’t wait. Call 305-854-4900 today to see if you may be eligible to make a claim.
