"Ira Leesfield"

Published on: February 5, 2025

Pickup Truck Driver Faces Charges After Driving Through Liquor Store, police say

An elderly pickup truck driver faces charges after police accused him of driving drunk through a liquor store, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage over the weekend in Alachua County, Florida.

The driver was charged with driving under the influence, a first-degree misdemeanor, according to court records. The Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg will not be naming the man as he was not charged with a felony.

Police say they were called out following reports of the crash around sunset on Thursday, Jan. 30, to the liquor store, which is about a 70-mile drive southwest from Jacksonville. When they arrived, they found that the pickup truck had driven through the storefront. Officers conducted a field sobriety test which they say he performed “poorly” on before he was taken to jail.

Published on: January 24, 2025

Boy, 6, Killed by Drunk Driver. Now, police say they’ve found the man responsible.

By Leesfield & Partners

Police have released the name of a man they believe is responsible for the death of a 6-year-old on a bicycle who was killed in a Florida neighborhood on Jan. 18, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Francisco Arriola, 53, was charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, DUI 3^rd violation, operating a vehicle without a license causing death and running a stop sign, according to media. The incident happened around 5 p.m. on Jan. 18 in an Apopka mobile home park about a 20-mile drive northwest of Orlando. The child was riding his bike when police say Arriola, in a 2003 Chevy Suburban, ran a stop sign and hit him.

The child was taken to AdventHealth Apopka where he later died from his injuries.

Published on: January 24, 2025

Florida Police Name Man They Say Killed Woman with “Celebratory Gunfire” on New Years Day

By Leesfield & Partners

Man faces felony charges after police say he is responsible for firing bullets in “celebratory gunfire” incident that killed a woman in Kissimmee Florida on New Year’s Day.

Carlos Manuel Tejada, 44, was charged over the weekend with manslaughter by culpable negligence in the incident that killed 56-year-old Carmen Rosa Neira Ochoa.

Tejada is accused of firing shots into the air around 12 a.m. on Jan. 1 while he was lakeside, directly across from Ochoa’s home where she was sitting on her screened-in back porch with her two daughters. Ochoa was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.

Published on: January 24, 2025

Florida Child, 11, Dies after Hit by Car While Walking from School Bus Stop, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

A sixth grader who was it by a car while walking away from her school bus died Thursday from her injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 11-year-old girl was dropped off by her school bus around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in Brooksville, a city in Hernando County about 50 miles north of Tampa, when a woman, 65, in a Toyota Corolla hit her. The child was walking north along the unpaved and unmarked road at the time of the crash, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. It was not immediately clear if the woman was speeding.

The child was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. She died Thursday.

Published on: January 16, 2025

One Person Hospitalized Following Townhouse Fire in Homestead, officials say

By Leesfield & Partners

A fire that broke out Monday night left at least one person hospitalized and several neighbors running from their beds and clamoring for their pets to get to safety.

Firefighters and emergency personnel were called out to the 4200 block of Northeast Ninth Street around 11 p.m. for the flames.

The person who was hospitalized has not been named, but officials told reporters with Channel 7 News that they were airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. The two-story home where the flames began had smoke damage and shattered windows following the fire.

Published on: January 16, 2025

Ira Leesfield Appointed to the Florida Bar’s 11th Judicial District of Florida’s Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee

By Leesfield & Partners

The Supreme Court of Florida approved Ira H. Leesfield’s appointment to the 11^th Judicial District Circuit Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee. The UPL committee is a program within the Florida Bar’s Disciplinary branch and was developed to protect the public from harm caused by individuals attempting to practice law without a license. As part of the Standing Committee on UPL, Mr. Leesfield and other members will give their formal advisory opinions regarding individuals who have been accused of practicing law without a license.

Of the distinguishment, which was bestowed upon him following decades of service to South Florida’s legal community, Mr. Leesfield said he was grateful for the honor.

“I look forward to working alongside my fellow committee members to ensure that the practice of law remains in the hands of qualified, ethical professionals who are committed to serving the best interest of Floridians,” he said.

Published on: January 14, 2025

You Were the Victim of Medical Malpractice in Florida. What Are Your Options?

By Leesfield & Partners

With 48 years of experience in personal injury law, Leesfield & Partners has successfully represented victims in medical malpractice cases that could easily fuel anyone’s iatrophobia.

From negligent cruise ship doctors who searched the internet for what to do after they ignored a black box warning label medicine administered to a patient to an obstetrician who used controversial techniques on a laboring mother, Leesfield & Partners has witnessed some of the most egregious medical negligence cases imaginable.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, it’s important to know what your options are and where to turn to for help.

Published on: December 31, 2024

Pennsylvania Officials: Carbon Monoxide Suspected in Canadian Model Dayle Haddon’s Death. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the suspected cause in the death of 76-year-old Dayle Haddon, a Canadian supermodel best known for being the face of the makeup brand L’Oréal.

Haddon died Friday at the Solebury Township, Pennsylvania home of her actor son-in-law, Marc Blucas. She had been staying in a carriage house with Blucas’ 76-year-old father who remains in critical condition at the hospital, according to reporting from The New York Post. Both had been visiting their children for the holidays.

Emergency responders were called out to Blucas’ property around 6:30 a.m. after they were told a man was lying unconscious on the first floor or the carriage house. He was transported to the hospital before police learned Haddon was still inside. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Published on: December 27, 2024

One dead, five others injured in Broward boat explosion, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

Footage of a boat explosion that killed one man and injured five others has gone viral online, with witnesses telling reporters the vessel exploded while it was refueled.

The incident happened Monday, just days before the holidays, around 6 p.m. at the Lauderdale marina, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. At least one other boat caught fire in the incident. The explosion took place near the 15^th Street Fisheries, a nearby restaurant that frequently attracts tourists and boaters alike.

At least three of the five people who were hurt had traumatic injuries. The body of Sebastien Gauthier, 41, of Quebec, Canada, was found in the water by officials with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Monday night.

Published on: December 27, 2024

Over 600,000 Nuna Baby Essentials Child Car Seats Recalled Over Harness Worries.

By Leesfield & Partners

Nuna Baby Essentials is recalling over 600,000 child car seats after fears that the harness adjuster may loosen, possibly preventing the seats from restraining children, the company’s Product Development Vice President announced last week.

The announcement comes after An October probe from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after a petition from the public. The recall impacts certain Rava seats – made between July 16, 2016, and October 25, 2023, – with plastic harness adjuster buttons. The issue with the car seats is the possibility of debris entering

Car seat owners may contact Nuna’s customer service at 1-855-686-2891 or via email at info.usa@nunababy.com.