Leesfield & Partners: 49 Years of Personal Injury Law. Tag Archives

Published on: August 5, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Representing Family of Girl, 7, Injured in Miami Beach Deadly Sailboat Crash.

Leesfield & Partners is representing 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber and her family following the devastating sailboat crash that killed three other minors in Miami Beach.

“My heart goes out to the families of those involved in this most tragic incident,” said Partner Justin B. Shapiro. “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.”

Calena’s parents, Karina Gruber Moreno and Enrique Areyan Viqueira, issued a statement Monday to local media asking for privacy following her release from the hospital.

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

Coast Guard: Captain of Tugboat in Fatal Miami Beach Sailboat Crash Not Impaired. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Neither the tugboat captain, a camp counselor, nor a person aboard the barge was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the fatal boat crash that killed one child and injured others off Miami Beach on Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

These initial findings were reported Friday by The Miami Herald after a 60-foot barge being pulled by a tugboat slammed into a 17-foot Hobie Gateway carrying at five children with the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation and their camp counselor.

At least two girls died and two more were seriously injured in the crash, which occurred between Hibiscus and Monuments islands.

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 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

Boater Found Dead on Florida’s Peace River. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The body of a 56-year-old boater who disappeared while watching over a stalled airboat on Florida’s Peace River was found this week, according to local media.

Benton Lindsey, was reported missing Sunday and his body was found a day later, according to officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Lindsey was on the boat with at least one other person who, when the airboat began experiencing mechanical failures, left on land to find help.

The boat drifted down the river and “a series of events led the operator to end up in the water,” FWC officials said.

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.