Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg

Published on: August 13, 2025

One Dead, Another Injured in Fort Lauderdale Personal Watercraft Tragedy, officials say.

Weeks after a devastating sailboat-barge collision in Miami Beach, another tragedy has struck South Florida — this time leaving one teenager dead and another seriously injured.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale on the Intracoastal Waterway near the 2800 block of Northeast 24^th Court, according to reporting from local media. The girls were riding tandem on a personal watercraft around 3:30 p.m. when they allegedly crashed into a dock.

Both girls were taken to the Broward Medical Center where one of them died and another remains seriously injured.

Published on: August 11, 2025

Coral Springs Charter School Teacher Accused of Sexually Abusing Student. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A teacher at Coral Springs Charter School in Broward County has been accused of sexually abusing a student, according to reporting from local media.

Joseph Michael Melendez, 33, was charged Thursday, Aug. 7, with one count of sexual battery of a victim between the ages of 12 and 18, two counts of lewd and lascivious battery of a victim between the ages of 12 and 16, and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation.

Melendez is accused of abusing the victim — whose name and age were not released to protect their identity — during their freshman and sophomore years at the charter school. The school serves students from sixth grade until their senior year of high school. The student told police that Melendez first gained his trust in January of 2018.

Published on: August 8, 2025

Iconic Miami Beach Landmark to Open Water Park. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, which has largely been credited with altering the landscape of luxury hospitality in the area and was once the playground for elites including Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, has recently announced plans to build a water park on the iconic property.

The home of LIV, one of the top nightclubs in the country that has been the stage for some of the most-famous performers in the industry, is seemingly using the planned construction of a water park to beckon to new clientele: families with children. The park will include 11 slides to the hotel’s pool area, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

In a statement to the newspaper, hotel officials said the move will transform the property into ” … a destination for all-ages, with all-new pools and water features, family attractions and slides, food and beverage offerings, and elevated poolside entertainment.”

Published on: August 7, 2025

This University in South Miami is Banning E-Bikes. Here’s Why.

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has been an outspoken advocate for regulating the use of E-bikes and E-scooters throughout communities and now, years later, officials are heeding his warning.

The University of Miami recently announced a plan to tighten restrictions on personal mobility devices on campus. E-bikes and E-scooters will be banned from sidewalks, breezeways, the Foote Green and other pedestrian areas starting Tuesday, Aug. 19. Undergraduate classes for the fall 2025 semester are scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 18, according to the university’s online calendar.

The move at the University of Miami was made to tighten these restrictions are a part of a safety campaign started by the school’s Parking and Transportation Department after a “growing number” of pedestrian collisions, blocked emergency routes and battery fires, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The issues with student drivers flagged in the article — riders distracted by cellphones, blaring music and zooming through pedestrian areas — are all concerns raised by Mr. Leesfield when he first warned against their use in 2019.

Published on: August 7, 2025

Warehouse Roof Collapses Near Miami Airport Tuesday. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A warehouse roof collapse near Miami International Airport Tuesday afternoon spurred a search with fire crews and rescue dogs on the property, ready to examine the area, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

As of 4 p.m., everyone inside the warehouse had been accounted for and no injuries were reported.

The incident happened around 1:20 p.m. at 1955 NW 72^nd Ave., according to local media. The size of the cave-in was about 80 feet by 25 feet.

Published on: August 7, 2025

Miami Pilot Dies in Indiana Crash Last Week, officials say. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A renowned pilot from Miami who was the 10^th woman to fly solo around the world in 2024 died in a crash in Indiana on July 30 while trying to repeat the journey, CBS News reported Wednesday.

Anh-Thu Nguyen, 44, died in Greenwood, Indiana, while attempting to circumnavigate the world in her Lancair IB-P named “Amelia.” In 2024, she secured the title as the 10^th woman to circumnavigate the world, making 25 stops all over the globe. Before her death, she had logged over 4,000 flight hours, served as a commercial pilot, and flew for companies such as Amazon, Boeing, Bombardier and Gulfstream.

The crash happened just before 11 a.m. when her plane began making several “strange aerial maneuvers,” according to media reporting. Later, the plane nose-dived into a grassy area about a mile southeast of the Indy South Greenwood Airport. The plane went down just a few feet behind a gas station. She was the only person on the plane at the time of the crash.

Published on: August 5, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Representing Family of Girl, 7, Injured in Miami Beach Deadly Sailboat Crash.

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners is representing 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber and her family following the devastating sailboat crash that killed three other minors in Miami Beach.

“My heart goes out to the families of those involved in this most tragic incident,” said Partner Justin B. Shapiro. “Very few details have been shared with the public, and it is too early to cast blame on any particular individual or entity. Regardless, it is absolutely clear this is an incident that cannot happen in the absence of negligence, incompetence, or both.”

Calena’s parents, Karina Gruber Moreno and Enrique Areyan Viqueira, issued a statement Monday to local media asking for privacy following her release from the hospital.

Published on: August 5, 2025

Third Child Dies in Miami Beach Barge-Sailboat Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 10-year-old girl has died at the hospital days after being involved in a barge-sailboat crash in Miami Beach that killed two other children.

Arielle Mazi Buchman died Thursday at Jackson Memorial Hospital, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Mila Tankelevich, 7, and 13-year-old Erin Victoria Ko Han died on July 28, the day that the 17-foot Hobie Getaway they were on as a part of a Miami Yacht Club summer camp program was hit by a 60-foot barge. The barge was being pulled by a tugboat.

Published on: August 4, 2025

Coast Guard: Captain of Tugboat in Fatal Miami Beach Sailboat Crash Not Impaired. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Neither the tugboat captain, a camp counselor, nor a person aboard the barge was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the fatal boat crash that killed one child and injured others off Miami Beach on Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

These initial findings were reported Friday by The Miami Herald after a 60-foot barge being pulled by a tugboat slammed into a 17-foot Hobie Gateway carrying at five children with the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation and their camp counselor.

At least two girls died and two more were seriously injured in the crash, which occurred between Hibiscus and Monuments islands.

Published on: August 4, 2025

One Dead, Nearly Two Dozen Others Sick from Legionnaires’ Cluster in New York City. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Legionnaires’ Disease cluster in New York City leaves one dead and at least 22 others sick since last Friday, according to the New York City Health Department.

An advisory was released Thursday, updating the public on a string of illnesses that had been going on since at least last Friday, July 25. The cluster occurred in the city’s Harlem neighborhood and nearby communities.

Samples from cooling towers in the area have been taken and the department has instructed building owners that were screened with positive results to immediately begin the process of cleaning, disinfecting and treating their cooling towers to eliminate Legionella bacteria, which causes the disease, officials said. These owners will need to re-test once this process is complete to ensure that there is no longer a Legionella risk.