Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
One of two sisters involved in an Aug. 12 fatal personal watercraft crash in Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal Waterway is reportedly in stable condition, according to reporting from local news outlets.
Aviva Bracha Nisanov, 16, of New York, was rushed to Broward Medical Center in critical condition following the crash that killed her sister, 13-year-old Rachel Aliza Nisanov. The two with their parents, Rebbitzin Ora Nisanov and Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov, while the family was vacationing from their home in New York.
The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. near the 2800 block of Northeast 24th Court when the two crashed into a concrete dock.
The girls’ father told reporters that he jumped in the water to try and save his children despite not being able to swim. Tragically, Rachel died from blunt force injuries. Aviva was in stable condition as of Tuesday morning.
“I didn’t come to Florida to bury my daughter,” Nisanov told reporters with Local 10 News. “I came to Florida to have a good time with her and now I have to take her back in a casket. It’s not the way I imagined my vacation.”
The girls’ watercraft “jumped the wake of a passing vessel,” causing them to lose control and crash into the dock, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the incident.
The girls are only two of the couples’ eight children from Queens New York, where they are prominent fixtures in the area’s Bukharian Jewish community, according to local media reporting.
“We didn’t sign no paperwork,” the girls’ father told reporters. “Supposedly, my older daughter took some course. I didn’t see no paperwork. I don’t know what happened. I had to be the one that pulled my daughters out of the water.”
As a personal injury law firm with 49 years of experience and three offices in cities like Miami, Orlando and Key West, Leesfield & Partners attorneys know just how difficult these personal watercrafts can be to maneuver, despite how they may appear. This firm has seen no other water-related activity produce more injuries and deaths than jet skis. In FWC data from the agency’s annual boating accident report, crashes with these vessels accounted for 17% of the 685 reportable boating incidents in 2024. In all, there were 81 deaths and nearly 400 injuries throughout the state.
Leesfield & Partners
This latest fatal water-related accident involving minors comes just weeks after a Miami Beach sailboat-barge incident that killed three children and severely injured at least one other, a Leesfield & Partners client. Thankfully, 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber survived the tragic, July 28 crash involving a sailboat with a summer camp program operated by the Miami Beach Yacht Club with ties to the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation and a barge being pulled by a tugboat. The barge was transporting what appeared to be a crane and construction materials before the crash between Hibiscus and Monument islands. The sailboat was dragged under the barge.
Tragically, at least three girls — 7-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 13-year-old Erin Ko Han, and 10-year-old Arielle Mazi Buchman — died. Both Mila and Erin died from accidental drowning while Arielle died from her injuries several days later at the hospital. One other child, 12, and a 19-year-old camp counselor were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
“My heart goes out to the families of those involved in this most tragic incident,” said Justin B. Shapiro, a partner at the firm. “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.”
These incidents have sent shockwaves throughout the local boating community and are indicative of a greater issue across Florida waterways — a need for increased safety. Sober boating, lifejacket usage, and boater’s education are all topics that the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has been championing for decades. Over the years, Mr. Leesfield as remained outspoken on critical safety issues and the need for greater accountability across Florida’s tourism and hospitality industries.
“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,” he said. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
While the passage of Lucy’s Law, which went into effect on July 1, is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to ensure the safety of swimmers, boaters, and others on the water.
In a recent media interview, Mr. Shapiro said that the stiffer penalties brought up by Lucy’s Law were needed.
“I think these are long overdue changes,” he said. “We have seen far too many fatalities and grievous injuries from boating crashes over the years.”
In an ongoing case, Mr. Shapiro is representing a woman who suffered spinal fractures and severe bruising while out on a jet ski excursion as a cruise ship passenger. The cruise ship marketed the excursion as one for beginners, attracting our client who did not have extensive experience with personal watercrafts. While they were out on the water, the jet ski excursion’s tour guide violently slammed into her from behind on his personal watercraft in an attempt to pass our client.
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 Jet Ski Crash Cases
Leesfield & partners’ six skilled trial attorneys have secured numerous multi-million dollar settlements for clients and their grieving families at the hands in nearly five decades.
In the last several years alone, the firm has secured more than $10 million in verdicts and settlements for clients injured as the result of jet ski crashes in the state.
One avoidable death that altered the life of a couple forever resulted from a Key West rental company flouting necessary safety training requirements, as mandated by law. The company failed to ensure that every one of their renters understood the safety tutorial and knew how to operate the personal watercraft that day. A French-speaking renter, who they did not adequately prep, fatally collided with the wife of a Leesfield & Partners client. The company failed to provide their customer with the translation he needed to understand how to use the jet ski.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to secure a multi-million-dollar settlement for the family in that case.
In another jet ski crash, a man visiting from California with his family was seriously injured when he violently crashed into a concrete bridge piling. The man was on a guided jet ski tour with his family at the time. The guides, who are required to prep their customers for the strong currents they would face, led them through a narrow bridge opening and sped far away from them throughout the tour the day the man crashed.
Leesfield & Partners previously represented a jet ski crash victim who suffered serious injuries and obtained a $1 million recovery for that client.
The firm secured a $935,000 recovery for a client involved in a jet ski collision with a boat.
A $900,000 recovery was obtained for a client injured in an accident involving a jet ski company.
A jet ski crash case involving a rental company resulted in a six-figure settlement amount obtained for an injured Leesfield & Partners client.
Boating Tragedies Handled by Leesfield & Partners
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 & 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.
In addition to boating accident litigation, Leesfield & Partners have 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.
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.
