Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
At least four boats at the Grove Isle marina in Coconut Grove were damaged after a fire broke out Tuesday morning.
Firefighters were called out to the area around 7:30 a.m. after two boats docked at the marina burst into flames, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. The fire was contained within 10 minutes and no injuries were reported.
Two other boats had exterior heat damage, but their interior were not damaged, according to reporting.
The Miami Fire Investigation Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating what caused the fire.
Recent Incidents
This is the second South Florida marina fire in two weeks. The first happened at a Sunny Isles Beach condominium block and affected at least six boats and two personal watercrafts.
On May 14, a fire broke out at the Unique Marine boatyard in Tavernier. Several vessels in that fire were damaged.
On Memorial Day, a boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale caused serious injuries to several people and killed at least one person. Investigators has yet to release an official cause but told local media they believe the explosion was caused by the igniting of fuel vapors.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is located less than 10 minutes from the Grove Isle marina where the latest boat fire incident occurred. The personal injury law firm, comprised of six skilled trial attorneys, has represented numerous fire and boating accident victims in nearly five decades, securing record and landmark results for these injured clients. Our attorneys work diligently to secure the best possible outcome in every case.
It is this experience that has prompted Leesfield & Partners to post regular safety advisories on the firm’s digital sign, located on U.S. 1 — the city’s most-traveled highway. Among heat, swimming, and summer safety advisories, the firm regularly posts about boating safety. This topic has been one championed for decades by the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield.
His aim it so continue raising awareness about hindrances to boating safety including a lack of life jacket usage, insufficient boater education in the state, reckless speeding and boating under the influence.
“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.”
Previous Boating Cases
Previously, Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a substantial settlement for a minor who lost a leg in a boating incident while the adults in charge negligently failed to properly supervise activities on the 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.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, recently secured a settlement for the family of a young lobster diver and father-to-be. The lobster diver was in the water when a law enforcement officer failed to adhere to divers-down flag laws.
In addition to boating accidents, Leesfield & Partners have also represented numerous jet ski crash victims. In the last several years alone, the firm has secured over $10 million for injured clients and grieving families affected by these tragic and preventable incidents. In an ongoing case being handled by Partner Justin B. Shapiro, our client was a cruise ship passenger on a cruise-sanctioned excursion marketed to novice jet skiers when she was horrifically injured. The client in this case sustained spinal fractures and severe bruising after the tour operator crashed into her from behind.
In a previous jet ski case handled by the firm, a $2.8 million recovery was obtained for the family of a woman killed as the result of a jet ski company’s negligence.
The firm obtained a $1.6 million for another client injured in a similar jet ski incident.
A jet ski crash with serious injuries resulted in our attorneys obtaining a $1 million recovery for the injured client.
A client who was hurt in a jet ski crash involving another boat received an over $900,000 recovery.
The firm previously represented a client injured by the negligence of a jet ski rental company, resulting in a $900,000 recovery.
The firm obtained a six-figure settlement for another injured jet ski client.
For more information about Leesfield & Partners’ jet ski litigation, click here.
Previous Fire and Explosion Cases
Leesfield & Partners previously handled a premises liability case involving the fire deaths of a mother and her two children. The three had become trapped in a blaze that broke out at their rental home, which was caused by a defective electrical outlet.
Despite previously notifying their landlord about difficulty opening windows, the issue went unaddressed. On the day of the fire, the mother and children were unable to open the windows to escape and perished.
In an explosion case that started from a spark aboard a cargo ship, Leesfield & Partners secured a substantial award for clients who were badly burned.
The firm previously represented a man who was horrifically burned at his vacation accommodations in an explosion while on his honeymoon. The explosion stemmed from an improperly capped pipe that severely injured both the man and his wife. They were transported to a hospital in Florida where the wife tragically died from her injuries.
Leesfield & Partners handled a case on behalf of a family who lost their daughter when a fire broke out at their condo. The fire was caused by a faulty TV set. In the blaze, the girl’s father tried desperately to save her, but couldn’t. She was 13 years old.
The father was severely burned in that case. Leesfield & Partners secured a $2.95 million award.
The firm has also handled other cases involving burn injuries to clients including a child who was burned at a neighbor’s home by stew that was cooking on the stove. The child in that case, an 11-year-old boy, sustained second-degree burns to his legs when the improperly installed range tipped forward on him. An investigation by our firm determined that the landlord’s failure to use anti-tip brackets paved the way for the incident to occur.
Leesfield & Partners secured a $300,000 settlement in that case.
In a construction site burn incident, the firm recovered $862,000 for an injured client.
Leesfield & Partners also represented a client in a medical malpractice case who was burned in the operating room by medical staff during a procedure. The firm secured $600,000 for the client in that case.
In addition to active fire, burn and explosion injuries, Leesfield & Partners has a long history of representing the victims of carbon monoxide exposure.
The firm filed a lawsuit that got national attention when a Key West hotel’s damaged roof vent leaked carbon monoxide into the room of an Iowa family. That case was among several in the state that spurred Mr. Leesfield to rally behind Senate Bill 1822, which provides protections related to carbon monoxide in Florida.
“Carbon monoxide poisoning isn’t just a subtle threat; it’s the second most common cause of non-medicinal poisoning death,” Mr. Leesfield and Trial Lawyer Evan Robinson said in a co-authored article discussing carbon monoxide litigation.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that around 400 people die in the U.S. annually from unintentional carbon monoxide exposure. Over 100,000 people are rushed to the emergency room every year for breathing in the toxic gas and 14,000 are hospitalized.
In carbon monoxide cases, the firm previously represented a woman who was exposed to the lethal gas while staying at a foreign resort. The firm obtained over $11 million for the woman in that case.
A confidential amount was secured on behalf of a college student who was exposed to carbon monoxide while staying in a house owned by the university. The cause of the leak in that case was revealed to be an exhaust pipe from the house’s furnace.
