Orlando

Published on: February 7, 2025

Crews Set Out to Clean Plane Crash Wreckage from the Potomac River, officials say.

Last week, the U.S. watched in horror as news spread of a collision in Washington, D.C., between an American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, marking the deadliest air disaster in over 40 years.

On Monday, a little less than a week later, crews were set to begin removing parts of the passenger jet and helicopter from the Potomac River. Officials told reporters with USA Today that the debris from the passenger jet will be the initial focus of removal efforts, an estimated three-day-long task. After that, the team will focus on debris from the Black Hawk helicopter.

As of Monday, at least 55 people killed in the crash were identified. About 28 of the 67 people killed in the crash were members of the figure skating community who were returning from a development camp for skaters in Wichita following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating national championships. Those on the plane included parents, coaches and athletes, some of whom were as young as 11 years old.

Published on: January 30, 2025

Elementary School Principal and Teacher in Brevard County Face Charges After 100 Kids Found Drinking at Party, Florida cops say

By Leesfield & Partners

An elementary school principal and teacher face multiple charges after police broke up a house party where over 100 minors were drinking, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan, 47, of Cocoa Beach, was charged with an open house party, a liquor law violation, and contributing to a child’s delinquency. Both of these charges are misdemeanors in Florida. Hill-Brodigan also faces a felony charge of child neglect without great bodily harm, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. She was granted a $3,500 bond and released Saturday.

Hill-Brodigan is a principal at Roosevelt Elementary School, which is a part of the Brevard County School District.

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: 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 31, 2024

Women Rescued After Falling into Florida Golf Course Quarry. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Two women have a harrowing tale of how they spent their 2024 Christmas holiday after falling 50 feet into a Citrus County, Florida, golf course quarry.

The women, who have not been named, fell into the cavernous quarry on Christmas Day and were found Thursday morning. Both were in stable condition, according to reporting from the Miami Herald and were taken to a local trauma hospital.

Temperatures dropped to around 50 degrees that night. Additional details, including how many hours the women spent awaiting rescue, were not immediately available Friday morning.

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.

Published on: December 13, 2024

Florida Classroom Vacated Following Beloved Teacher’s Legionnaires’ Disease Death.

By Leesfield & Partners

Seven elementary school classrooms in Pinellas County, Florida, were vacated this month after a beloved teacher died from Legionnaires’ Disease.

Katherine Pennington, a kindergarten teacher employed by the Pinellas County School District, died on Nov. 24 after testing positive for Legionella bacteria. As of Wednesday morning, it is unclear where Pennington may have been exposed to the bacteria.

This month, as a precaution, the students were moved from the building where Pennington taught to other classrooms on the campus while the school’s air systems and water systems were checked. In a statement to the public, the Pinellas County School District announced that an environmental company was cleaning the building.

Published on: November 20, 2024

Judge Orders Miami Developer to Surrender to Authorities in Vessel Homicide Case Resulting From 2022 Boca Chita Crash. A Look at Previous Leesfield & Partners Boating Cases

By Leesfield & Partners

The operator of a boat involved in a 2022 boat crash in Boca Chita Key that killed one teen and permanently injured another has been ordered to surrender to police after news broke last month he would be facing vessel homicide charges, according to local news outlets.

The order was signed by a judge Wednesday and calls for 54-year-old George Pino, a Miami real estate developer, to surrender to authorities. In addition to the vessel homicide charge, Pino will allegedly face one count of driving a vessel in a reckless manner.

What Happened?

Published on: October 22, 2024

Orlando NICU accused of covering up injury that paralyzed newborn baby, lawsuit says

By Leesfield & Partners

A family of a baby girl whose neck was broken—resulting in a spinal cord injury that caused paralysis—is now suing the Orlando facility following her death, claiming they tried to cover up the baby’s injury in a new medical malpractice case.

Jahxy Peets was born about three months early at the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies where she was intubated and admitted to the NICU in June 2022. While there, a nurse allegedly broke the 2-week-old baby’s neck and placed her back in her incubator without alerting other staff or medical professionals. The break caused a “debilitating spinal cord injury” that left the newborn paralyzed.

Other staff later noticed that the baby was not moving her arms or legs. Jahxy stopped breathing on her own and her organs began shutting down, her parents’ attorneys told local media. A June 29, 2022, MRI revealed the injury. The family’s attorneys claim that there was an attempted cover-up to hide Jahxy’s injuries.