Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
A swimmer was struck by a boat propeller off the Fisher Island Marina in Miami Beach on Sunday, Oct. 11, according to reporting from local media.
The man, 63, has not yet been named, officials said. He was hit around 11:10 a.m. after jumping from the 17-foot boat he was on with at least two other people. He jumped into the water in Norris Cut when the boat’s propeller struck him, officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement to reporters.
The Miami Herald reported that the man’s leg was cut by the propeller multiple times. He was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Information on the extent of his wounds was not immediately available, and it is unknown whether he has been released from the hospital yet.
The incident is being investigated by the FWC.
In five decades representing the victims of maritime incidents throughout Florida, Leesfield Shapiro understands just how dangerous the water can be. From preventable drownings to tragic crashes caused by reckless and inexperienced boaters, our attorneys have guided injured clients and grieving families through them all. Over the last 50 years, Leesfield Shapiro has built a reputation both nationally and statewide of zealously representing clients and securing record verdicts and settlements.
Leesfield Shapiro
Leesfield Shapiro, formerly known as Leesfield & Partners, has faithfully represented families left forever fractured due to boating accidents and other incidents on the water. It is this firsthand experience representing these families that the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has become an advocate for water safety and boating education. Startlingly, more than half of the operators of vessels involved in fatal 2025 boating accidents had no formal boater’s education. In fact, the same has been true regarding fatal Florida boating accidents for at least a decade. This trend is one that is easily remedied, and yet, year-after-year more and more residents and visitors find themselves victims of tragic vessel crashes on the water.
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.”
While important measures have been established in recent years, such as the passage of Lucy’s Law in 2025, there is still much to do to continue protecting residents and visitors from such tragedies. The legislation, named in honor of 17-year-old Luciana ‘Lucy’ Fernandez, who died in a 2022 Boca Chita boat crash, was applauded by the trial attorneys at Leesfield Shapiro who saw it as a sign for increased vigilance and safety on the water.
“I think these are long overdue changes,” Partner Justin B. Shapiro told reporters at the time. “We have seen far too many fatalities and grievous injuries from boating crashes over the years.”
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 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.
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.
