Florida

Published on: August 7, 2025

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

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 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

Housekeeper Jumps to Save Toddler Drowning in Pool. Now, Father Faces Charges.

By Leesfield & Partners

A housekeeper at a Melbourne, Florida, hotel spotted a toddler drowning in the pool and raced to pull him out, but tragically, the child later died at the hospital despite her efforts.

The incident happened as the 3-year-old boy’s father allegedly dozed next to him, passed out on the pool steps, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday. As the woman was cleaning a room on the hotel’s third floor, she told police that she spotted the boy floating in the deep end of the pool. She screamed for the father to wake up, but he did not stir, according to local media reporting.

The woman ran downstairs and jumped into the pool. Not knowing CPR, she told police that she pounded on the child’s chest and tried calling for help.

Published on: August 4, 2025

If You Bought This Energy Drink, You May Be in for More of a Buzz Than You Bargained for Thanks to This Mistake. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Celsius energy drinks are under recall after it was revealed that some of their products had been mislabeled and are actually High Noons, the canned vodka seltzers.

The Food and Drug Administration sent out a notice of recall, announcing that an unspecified number of High Noon’s Beach Variety packs were mislabeled as Celsius’ Astro Vibe energy drink, the Sparkling Blue Razz Edition with a silver top. These products were shipped to retailers in Florida, South Carolina, New York, Virginia, Wisconsin and Ohio from July 21 to July 23, FDA officials said.

As of July 30, no injuries or illnesses have been reported, according to reporting from NBC.

Published on: July 31, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Answers: When do I stop for a school bus in Florida? Other school-zone-traffic-related questions

By Leesfield & Partners

With the dreaded return of school bells this August comes the equally as detested return of morning traffic in Miami; here’s everything you need to know about school zone laws in Florida.

As a personal injury law firm with nearly five decades of experience handling pedestrian-involved accidents and other motor vehicle accidents, Leesfield & Partners attorneys know just how dangerous Florida roads can be. From distractions on the roads such as cellphones to driving under the influence, our skilled trial attorneys have handled just about every injury that can occur on the road.

In a previous and tragic Leesfield & Partners case, a child’s life was forever changed one morning when he was hit by a speeding driver while trying to board his school bus. The boy’s school bus driver instructed him to cross the street while stopped in the middle of the road instead of as far to the right as possible. The driver also instructed our client and other children to cross the street where there was no designated crosswalk.

Published on: July 30, 2025

Four People Rescued Following Boat Crash in Fort Lauderdale, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least four people were pulled from the water after a boat slammed into a Fort Lauderdale seawall Friday evening, according to local media.

Emergency responders were called out to the Intracoastal Waterway near the Commercial Boulevard bridge in Fort Lauderdale around 7:30 p.m. The vessel’s operator allegedly lost control and hit the seawall, ejecting all four on board.

All four occupants were adults and were taken to the hospital for treatment. One person was treated for injuries related to near-drowning, another was taken to a trauma center with serious injuries, though these were non-life-threatening, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Two others had minor injuries.

Published on: July 30, 2025

Two Minors Died in Miami Beach Boat Crash Monday. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Two children have died and two more are in the hospital after a barge hit a sailboat carrying several minors and a camp counselor, 19, from the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation, according to reporting from local media.

The incident happened around 11:15 a.m. between Monument Island and Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach. The collision, which caused the barge to go over the top of the sailboat and caused the sailboat to sink, sent an adult counselor and five children into the water. The children on board ranged in age from 7 to 13 years old, officials said.

Two children — a 7-year-old girl and 13-year-old girl — died at the hospital. Two other girls, 8 and 11 years old, were taken to the hospital and remained in critical condition as of Tuesday morning.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Washington Man Dies in ‘Tragic Mishap’ on Electric Scooter, police say.

By Leesfield & Partners

A man riding an electric scooter on July 19 died after falling into the road and getting hit by a tractor-trailer, according to a press release this week from the Spokane Police Department.

Sean Nolan, 21, was riding an electric scooter on a sidewalk in Spokane County, Washington, police said. He was the rear passenger on the scooter and lost his balance before falling into the road. The man driving the scooter also fell but landed on the sidewalk. Nolan was hit by an oncoming tractor-trailer.

The driver stopped and attempted to “render aid,” before police arrived, officials said. Both police officers and firefighters also attempted to give first aid, but Nolan was pronounced dead at the scene.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Women Driving Women: Uber’s New Pilot Program to be Unveiled in Certain Cities. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Uber announced Wednesday the launch of its new “Women Preferences” feature, allowing women drivers and riders to choose to be matched with other women for their drive.

“At Uber, we believe that when we make our platform better for women, we make it better for everyone,” officials with the ride-sharing platform said in a statement. “Across the US, women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips. We’ve heard them — and now we’re introducing new ways to give them even more control over how they ride and drive.”

Uber is slated to launch pilot programs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit within the next few weeks.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Therapist at Miami Substance Abuse Facility Faces Sexual Misconduct Charges. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A therapist at a Miami women’s mental health and substance abuse treatment facility faces several charges after multiple women reported that he assaulted them during private sessions, according to local media.

Manuel Enrique Garcia, 33, was charged with at least three counts of felony charges related to sexual battery on clients.

Two women reported to police, alleging Garcia had assaulted them during private therapy sessions, according to reporting from CBS Miami. One woman said she was threatened with “job loss and homelessness if she spoke out,” reporters said in the article. Another woman told police that she was assaulted and that Garcia threatened to change her records to harm her standing in court, which would prevent her from “reuniting with her child.” This was not the only time that Garcia had approached the woman in this manner, according to police.