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Students Hospitalized in Food-Related Incident at Miami School, officials say.

At least five minors were taken to the hospital following a food-related incident at Pinecrest Glades Academy in West Miami-Dade, according to local media outlets.

First responders were called out to the school Friday morning “following a call that was upgraded to a level one mass casualty incident,” reporters with Channel 7 WSVN said.

The incident allegedly involved a student who brought a food item to school and shared it with others who, after eating it, experienced adverse reactions. As of Friday afternoon, all five teenage patients were in good condition, HCA Florida Kendall Hospital confirmed to reporters.

School officials did not say what the food item was. The incident is under investigation by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners is a 48-year law firm with decades of experience handling some of the most complex and devastating injury and wrongful death cases in Florida. Some of the cases handled by our skilled trial attorneys have had a historic impact on state law while other landmark cases have resulted in record verdicts and settlements secured for injured clients and grieving families. Our attorneys approach every case with the compassion, creativity and tenacity necessary to secure the best possible outcome for every client.

Over the years, Leesfield & Partners has handled numerous cases involving children injured by the negligent acts of those meant to protect them. In that time, these children have been emotionally and physically harmed due to the acts of a corporation’s negligent employees, summer camp counselors, school and/or church officials, medical facilities, and more.

The firm is currently representing the family of a 7-year-old girl who miraculously survived a traumatic sailboat-barge crash in Miami Beach that claimed the lives of three other children. This case is being led by Partner Justin B. Shapiro.

Mr. Shapiro and trial attorney Eric Shane are also representing another child who was injured by a boat propeller while participating in a sailing summer camp.

Mr. Shapiro and Evan Robinson, a Trial Attorney at the firm, are representing a minor who was sexually assaulted while exercising at a Miami gym by a man with a known history of violent behavior at the property.

On the day of the assault, our 14-year-old client was followed and harassed before she was assaulted by a 22-year-old man who had a previous outburst at the gym in which he screamed at the top of his lungs at other gym goers to get them to fight him.

Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Shane are representing a family whose 2-year-old drowned at a Central Florida pool.

Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Attorney at the firm, is representing a woman who was left traumatized after it was revealed that a cruise ship employee had planted hidden cameras in her private cabin bathroom, capturing images of her and numerous other passengers that had vacationed with that cruise line. Many of the victims who were filmed were minors.

That individual has since been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child sex abuse material. Since the ordeal, our client has bene left with deep emotional scars.

That case is ongoing.

Previous Cases

Leesfield & Partners obtained a historic settlement in a case involving a swimming pool incident at a Hotel Resort Orlando in Osceola County. In that case, our client’s son was swimming when he was caught in the suction of the pool’s drain. The child could not be removed because the hotel failed to have an emergency shut off switch.

For nearly 10 minutes, our client’s child remained underwater. As a result, he was later diagnosed with brain damage that would require life-long medical care. This case, which was handled by Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, is the largest result of its kind in Osceola County.

Previously, the firm secured $8.6 million for a camper at a well-known Florida summer camp. A camp counselor in that case was later found to have been sexually abusing our minor client. The camp ignored clear warning signs, to the detriment of the child they were entrusted to protect.

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.

Leesfield & Partners previously represented the families of three teenage girls after they were struck by a commercial truck driver making an illegal U-turn on the turnpike. The girls in that case were on their way to the library when the driver turned directly into their path. Tragically, one girl was killed and the other two sustained serious injuries.

Our attorneys worked tirelessly to settle the case for over $8.6 million for the families. The firm also obtained an over $7.6 million arbitration award for the family who lost their daughter.

Leesfield & Partners secured a $2.95 million award for a family who lost their 13-year-old daughter after a TV set caught fire in their home. The manufacturer of the defective television set was named as a defendant in the lawsuit alongside the distributor of a defective smoke alarm and the family’s condominium association, which was named in the lawsuit for safety violations. The father involved in this incident burned over 30% of his body when he tried to rescue his daughter.

Mr. Leesfield and Trial Attorney Carlos A. Fabano obtained a confidential settlement on behalf four clients who were sexually abused as children by the same church official while they attended parochial schools.

The firm recovered $2.5 million for a 9-year-old who collided with an unpadded steel grommet while diving for an out-of-bounds ball as he played on a ship’s basketball court. The child in that case suffered a catastrophic brain injury as a result on the traumatic incident.

The firm obtained a confidential settlement for a family devastated by the tragic loss of their young daughter. In that case, the child was separated from her family aboard a ship when she leaned over a poorly designed cruise ship railing and fell five stories to her death.

A child who was crossing the street suffered a traumatic brain injury after a driver hit him. In that case, Leesfield & Partners secured a $1.2 million settlement for the Fort Lauderdale family.

Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a confidential settlement for a child who was flying as an unaccompanied minor on an airline and meant to be under the care of flight officials. During the flight, the child was sexually abused by another passenger.

Previously, the firm secured a substantial settlement in a case involving a minor who lost a leg while not being supervised on a vessel.

In a case involving multiple students who were sexually abused by a teacher at a prestigious Florida high school, the victims and survivors were paid multi-million-dollar reparations thanks to the work of Leesfield & Partners.

Leesfield & Partners previously handled a 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.

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.

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