Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
At least four people were pulled from the water Sunday afternoon after their boat capsized near Haulover Inlet in Miami, according to reporting from local media.
All four were found sitting on the overturned hull of their 25-foot boat around 4 p.m. The boat was found nearly seven miles short of Haulover Inlet.
No Injuries were reported in this incident though Miami-Dade Fire Rescue teams have taken this as the opportunity to remind boaters to check the weather conditions before setting out on the water, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Additionally, boaters should ensure they have a VHF radio on board that is turned to channel 16 — the quickest way to radio for help if in distress on the water.
Thankfully, these boaters did not experience any injuries, however, Leesfield & Partners knows that many others are not nearly as fortunate. There were about 685 reportable boating accidents throughout Florida in 2024, according to data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In all, at least 81 people died and 400 more were injured. The most common cause of these tragic and preventable incidents was a collision with a fixed object. Concerningly, more than half of the boaters involved in 2024 fatal collisions had no formal boater’s education.
A History of Advocating for Safety
Leesfield & Partners has long embraced its role as one of Florida’s leading personal injury law firms, mindful that for Floridians, water is more than scenery—it is a way of life. The state’s beaches, rivers, lakes, and surrounding waters form the backdrop of countless childhood memories, provide livelihoods for many, and remain the place where families and friends gather after long weeks at work to reconnect and recharge. With this sought after activity, however, comes serious responsibility. This is why Leesfield & Partners champions sober boating, life jacket use and other importance safety practices to help prevent such tragedies.
“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,” said Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
The firm has represented countless victims of water-related injuries and their grieving families. In that time, the firm has secured numerous record verdicts and settlements for these clients, representing each one with the compassion, tenacity and knowledge of the law necessary to achieve the best possible result.
Today, the firm has multiple water-related cases in various stages of the legal process.
Leesfield & Partners is representing a 7-year-old girl and her family after a devastating sailboat-barge crash in Miami Beach that resulted in the devastating deaths of three other children. No case has been filed, and no legal action has been taken as the firm and the Areyan Gruber family await the U.S. Coast Guard’s findings.
“Many boaters are unfamiliar with the most basic navigation rules and actions necessary to avoid collisions in vessel traffic,” said Partner Justin B. Shapiro, the attorney leading the case. “I look forward to the Coast Guard’s findings and hope the boating community can learn from this horrific incident.”
The firm has various boating injury cases in differing stages of the legal process.
Mr. Shapiro and Evan Robinson, a Trial Attorney at the firm, are representing a teen who suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of a water tubing accident.
Mr. Shapiro and Trial Attorney Eric Shane are representing a young girl who was enrolled in a South Florida summer camp when her leg was sliced by a boat propeller.
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 lie 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.
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 Leesfield & Partners Trial Attorney, represented the family of a young man and father-to-be who was lobster diving when he was killed by a law enforcement officer who negligently failed to adhere to divers-down flag laws.
If you, or someone you know, was involved in a boating accident or other water-related incident in Florida, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 800-836-6400 to see if you may be eligible to make a claim.
