Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued boaters in Islamorada this week after the vessel began taking on water, according to a post on the agency’s social media page.
The incident happened at around 3:40 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, and involved two people who were aboard a 19-foot center console vessel that began taking on water. They were rescued near Pickles Reef and both passengers were wearing life jackets, according to USCG officials. The crew “dewatered” the vessel before bringing it and its passengers back to Ocean Point.
No injuries were reported.
USCG officials urged boaters to “wear properly fitted life jacket … and to ensure their vessel is equipped with appropriate safety and communication equipment.”
Earlier this week, on Sunday, Oct. 18, USCG officials helped another group of boaters whose catamaran capsized about 5 miles south of Boot Key Harbor. All four occupants were found in the water and brought aboard the USCG boat.
“Having a marine radio onboard allowed the boaters to call for help, and our crew was able to respond quickly and bring all four people to safety,” said USCG Petty Officer 3rd Class Jackson Boggs. “With a small craft advisory in effect, this case is a reminder to check marine weather forecasts before getting underway and carry the proper safety equipment, including a marine radio.”
Officials reminded boaters to use VHF-FM Channel 16 to call for help in case of an emergency.
Information on any possible injuries was not immediately available.
With five decades of experience representing the victims of boating and other water-related incidents throughout Florida, Leesfield Shapiro knows just how dangerous the water can be. Anything, from sudden weather conditions, reckless boaters, inexperienced vessel operators, and mechanical malfunctions, can rapidly turn a fun day on the water into a family’s worst nightmare.
Leesfield Shapiro
Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, has been an outspoken advocate for boating and maritime safety for decades. Over the years, Mr. Leesfield and the tenacious trial attorneys at his firm have seen the irreparable damage that these accidents have had on clients and families throughout the state. From the emotional traumas, the mounting medical debts, or the wrenching loss of a loved one, we know the toll that that one moment on the water can take on the lives of our clients. For at least a decade, more than half of the operators in annual boating accidents resulting in a death in Florida have had no formal boater’s education.
“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,” Mr. Leesfield said. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
Some important safety measures have been taken in recent years — such as Lucy’s Law in 2025, named in honor of 17-year-old Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, who died in a 2022 Boca Chita crash.
“I think these are long overdue changes,” said Partner Justin B. Shapiro. “We have seen far too many fatalities and grievous injuries from boating crashes over the years.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission revealed in their 2025 report—the year with the latest data publicly available—that there were nearly 700 reportable boating accidents for that year with 51 deaths and the injury to 437 people. That year, about 67% of boaters involved in fatal boating accidents had no formal boater’s education.
Monroe County, where Leesfield Shapiro has represented countless clients over the decades, was the area with the highest number of accidents and injuries in the state. At least one person died in a 2025 Monroe County boating accident and 56 others were injured.
Ongoing Boating and Water-Related Incidents
Leesfield Shapiro attorneys handle numerous tragic and preventable boating cases every year. 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 lacerated and nearly amputated by a boat propeller.
Leesfield Shapiro is also representing those affected by the tragic sailboat-barge crash in Miami on July 28, including 13-year-old Erin Ko, who tragically died, and 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber, who survived.
That case is being handled by Mr. Shapiro and Trial Attorney Bernardo Pimentel II.
Boating Tragedies Handled by Leesfield Shapiro
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 Shapiro 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 Shapiro has 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.
Mr. Pimentel 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.
