Ira H. Leesfield

Published on: August 14, 2025

Sisters in Monday Fort Lauderdale Personal Watercraft Crash were on guided tour, FWC says.

The girls from a prominent family in the Queens, New York, Bukharian Jewish community who were involved in a deadly Fort Lauderdale personal watercraft crash were on a guided tour, according to authorities.

The two, 13-year-old Rachel Aliza Nisanov and her sister, 16-year-old Aviva Bracha Nisanov, were riding tandem on a personal watercraft — mostly known as a jet ski — in the Intracoastal Waterway Tuesday around 3:30 p.m. when they crashed into a concrete dock, according to The Miami Herald. The girls were near the 2800 block of Northeast 24^th Court.

After the crash, the two were rushed to Broward Health Medical Center where Rachel died from her injuries and Aviva remains in critical condition, the newspaper said. The parents of both girls — Rebbitzin Ora Nisanov and Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov — were on another personal watercraft in the area when the crash occurred. Their father leapt into the water in a desperate attempt to save them.

Published on: August 13, 2025

One Dead, Another Injured in Fort Lauderdale Personal Watercraft Tragedy, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

Weeks after a devastating sailboat-barge collision in Miami Beach, another tragedy has struck South Florida — this time leaving one teenager dead and another seriously injured.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale on the Intracoastal Waterway near the 2800 block of Northeast 24^th Court, according to reporting from local media. The girls were riding tandem on a personal watercraft around 3:30 p.m. when they allegedly crashed into a dock.

Both girls were taken to the Broward Medical Center where one of them died and another remains seriously injured.

Published on: April 30, 2025

Fort Lauderdale Fire Breaks Out at Apartment. A Look at Previous Leesfield & Partners Fire Cases.

By Leesfield & Partners

First responders were called out to a five-story Fort Lauderdale apartment building Thursday for reports about a fire.

The blaze broke out around 3:30 a.m. and one unit’s balcony appeared entirely engulfed by flames in online videos. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in about 20 minutes, according to reporting from Channel 10 News.

No injuries were reported, however, officials told the media outlet that a resident and one cat were inside the unit. The resident was evacuated and the pet was rescue by firefighters and is doing “OK,” a spokesperson said.

Published on: April 24, 2025

Texas Family Left Devastated After 6-Month-Old Killed in Dog Attack. Previous Leesfield & Partners

By Leesfield & Partners

A 6-month-old baby girl in Texas was killed after her family’s dog attacked her earlier this month.

The attack happened on Tuesday, April 1 just before 4 p.m. at an apartment complex in Baytown, a city that is about a 30-mile drive east of Downtown Houston. The dog involved is allegedly a 1-year-old red-collared pit bull mix who animal control has already taken custody of along with another pit bull mix. Since the attack, the family has agreed to sign a surrender order, which would allow the city to euthanize the dog, according to multiple media outlets.

Only the red-collared pit bull was involved in the attack. The second dog was inside a kennel at the time of the incident.

Published on: February 10, 2025

Nurses Union Lifts the Veil on ‘Death Trap Elevators’ at Miami Hospital. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Elevators plunging several floors due to a malfunction have injured at least 12 people at The Miami VA Medical Center, an issue that has gone on for more than two years, the Miami Herald reported this week.

The elevators vacillate through the 12-story building, carrying nurses, patients and visitors alike.

In a phone interview with the newspaper, Bill Frogameni, who is a registered nurse at the veteran’s hospital and is the director of National Nurses United Miami VA chapter, said the hospital is meant o be a “place of healing.”

Published on: December 18, 2024

Carbon Monoxide Leak at Ski Resort Kills At Least a Dozen. How Leesfield & Partners Has Been a Part of CO Protections for Decades.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least 12 people were found dead in an Indian restaurant at s Georgian ski resort Saturday, according to Georgia officials.

The bodies of 11 foreigners and one Georgian national were found on the second floor of a restaurant at the Gudauri ski resort, a retreat located on the south-facing plateau of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range. It is believed that all 12, who have not been named as of Tuesday morning, died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to reporting from the BBC.

Police say all 12 were restaurant employees. The suspected source of the carbon monoxide is a power generator that had been placed in an indoor, closed space near the bedrooms after a power outage.

Published on: June 25, 2024

Consumer Product Safety Commission urges consumers to steer clear of these carbon monoxide detectors. What’s wrong with the product?

By Leesfield & Partners

In a statement released late last week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission urged buyers to avoid a specific company’s carbon monoxide detectors and replace it immediately.

Carbon monoxide detectors have the capacity to prevent about 200 deaths of accidental exposure a year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

With regular episodes of exposure to the lethal gas dominating headlines including the hospitalization of over a dozen Miami condo residents earlier this month, the use of these life-saving detectors has never been more important. However, some companies making these essential devices should be avoided.

Published on: January 16, 2024

Lawsuit filed against AirBnb and Homeowner in pool drowning case

By Leesfield & Partners

In 2022, the 2-year-old child of our clients drowned in the swimming pool of a Central Florida house the family rented on AirBnb’s platform. It took less than a minute before she was pulled out unconscious, and despite the medical team’s every effort to keep her alive, she tragically died weeks later. The investigation revealed that the house was not equipped with a compliant child safety fence, and as a result, Leesfield & Partners attorneys filed a lawsuit against multiple parties, including the owner of the home located in Osceola County and AirBnb.

In the recent past, Leesfield & Partners has litigated several pool drowning cases with liabilities resting on property owners, pool contractors, and property managing companies. In one South Florida case that resulted in the drowning of a toddler, Ira Leesfield and attorneys at the firm were able to secure a seven-figure settlement against multiple defendants for the inadequate installation of a defective pool fence.

Florida Laws and Local Regulations

Published on: October 26, 2023

Decorative Fountain Electrocution Tragedy Ends in $10 Million Settlement

By Leesfield & Partners

Attorneys Ira Leesfield and Leesfield & partners attorneys represented the family of a young girl who died of electrocution while playing miniature golf. The 11-year-old’s golf ball ended up in a small water pond, when she reached inside the pond in an attempt to retrieve her ball, she immediately started to scream. Another guest jumped to her rescue and tried to grab her by the arm to pull her out but they too became injured as soon as they touched her.

The tragedy for the family was in fact an incomprehensible act of negligence committed by the owners and employees in charge of maintenance. Leesfield & Partners’s inspection and investigation revealed an improper replacement and installation of electrical breakers. State and local regulations mandate the use of ground fault interrupter (GFI) breakers for all water features like the pond in question. The inspection of the wiring and the electrical pump uncovered that non-GFI breakers were employed, which resulted in the water to become electrified, unbeknownst to all, including our fatally injured young client who was on vacation to celebrate her 11th birthday.

Within nine months, several inspections were conducted, lawsuit was filed, depositions were taken, and the case was settled for $10,000,000.

Published on: February 1, 2023

Leesfield & Partners files suit on behalf of bicyclist hit by car in Key Biscayne

By Leesfield & Partners

Among South Florida bicyclists, Key Biscayne is known for its perfect cycling area with approximately 5 miles of straight scenic roadway. Every day around sunrise and sunset, large groups of cyclists make their way up and down Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, located just two minutes from Downtown Miami.

This is exactly what our client was doing one October morning before a tragic incident with a motor vehicle caused him to sustain permanent injuries and surgery. Our client was lawfully riding his bicycle westbound on the Rickenbacker Causeway in the designated bicycle lane. At the same time, an Officer with Coral Gables Police Department, Officer Robert H. Thomson was driving his police car westbound on the Rickenbacker Causeway in the vehicle lane. Inexplicably and without warning, Officer Thomson cut off our client by making a right turn and crossing over the bicycle lane, which caused our client to collide with another cyclist and fall off his bicycle.

In November, attorneys with the firm filed suit against the City. Litigation is currently ongoing.