Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Investigators have revealed the possible cause for a Memorial Day boat explosion on the Intracoastal waters near the Lauderdale Yacht Club that killed one person — the igniting of fuel vapors.
The possible cause was revealed to reporters with WSVN by investigators in an article relaying the recorded 911 calls from panicked witnesses on the day of the explosion.
“A boat just, like, exploded, I don’t know, people just flew off the boat,” one caller told emergency responders. “Everyone’s jumping in the water. I’m watching a boat that I think just exploded, or, I think just caught on fire. I’m not sure what’s going on, there was a loud explosion, now a couple people are back on the boat.”
The incident happened on May 26 around 5:45 p.m. when a 39-foot Sea Ray with 13 people on it, including at least two children, suddenly caught fire. At least 11 people, including a 5 and 7-year-old, were taken to the Broward Health Medical Center. Some of those involved suffered serious injuries and burns. At least one pet, a dog, was also rescued from the boat.
Joshua Fifi, 29, of Fort Lauderdale has since been identified as the individual killed in the incident. Fifi leaves behind four young children and was remembered in a GoFundMe page by friends and family as someone who could “make people laugh, even on the hardest days.”
“He was someone people could count on, and now, we’re coming together to support him one last time,” organizers wrote in the post.
As of Wednesday, over $19,400 of the fundraiser’s $35,000 goal had been raised for funeral expenses and to help support his children.
Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating the incident.
How This Happened
The source of the vapor and ignition is under investigation and no definitive cause of the has been released. This serious and well-known boating hazard can occur in multiple ways including the accumulation of vapor in an engine compartment, the lack of blower systems for ventilation and/or improperly fueling up a vessel.
When vapors accumulate in an engine compartment, they sink and can collect there, or other low areas. If there is even a small fuel leak, these vapors can build up quickly. There is an increased risk of this if the area isn’t ventilated properly. Once these vapors are present, anything from starting the engine, sparks, open flames of heating elements or static electricity can trigger an explosion or fire. This is why blower systems are designed to vent the vapors out of the engine compartment. Forgetting to run the blower, can have drastic and tragic consequences. It is also important to maintain proper fueling practice such as avoiding to overfill your tank, remembering to keep the fuel tank closed and never refueling with people on board your vessel or the engine running.
For safety, boaters should regularly check for fuel leaks, run their blowers for a minimum of four to five minutes, and use proper fueling practices.
The FWC emphasizes these safe fueling practices as fuel vapor ignition is one of the leading causes of boat fires and explosions. Taking the right precautions could prevent a tragedy.
Please consult local boating safety organizations, the FWC or the U.S. Coast Guard for the most up-to-date boating safety information.
Leesfield & Partners: Promoting Boating Safety in Florida Since 1976
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with offices in Miami, Key West and Orlando that has represented the victims of defective products, fires and burns, boating and other water-related accidents for nearly five decades throughout Florida. The firm’s skilled attorneys approach each case with the tenacity, knowledge of the law and compassion necessary to secure the best possible outcome for every client. In 48 years, Leesfield & Partners has secured numerous record verdicts and settlements for injured clients and grieving families in a myriad of practice areas, earning recognition from organizations such as Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, the American Association for Justice and Justia.
Boating safety is a topic that the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has spoken out about regularly. Every holiday weekend, when families and other boaters are most likely to head out on the water, Mr. Leesfield is sure to put out safety advisories outside the firm’s Miami office on U.S. 1. The sign is seen by thousands of South Florida drivers daily as it is situated at the edge of the city’s most-used highway. Among these safety advisories are warnings about issues involved in boating incidents that Leesfield & Partners has long worked to raise awareness about, including: a lack of life jacket usage, insufficient boater education, recklessly speeding, and drinking while boating.
“The dangers from boating incidents are entirely underestimated as South Florida becomes more congested, drinking on the water becomes more prevalent and distractions from cell phones and other devices increases,” Mr. Leesfield said. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
Previous Boating Cases
Leesfield & Partners handled a case involving a minor who lost a leg while not being supervised on a vessel.
Previously, the firm represented a family whose young son was snorkeling when he was hit and killed by a passing boater. The boater in that case was also a minor who should never have been given permission to operate the vessel without supervision. Not only did this minor not stop, but he attempted to cover up evidence and lied to police when questioned.
Neighbors later testified that this minor regularly operated the boat in a reckless manner.
The firm represented the family of a young woman, 20, who tragically died when the vessel she was on crashed into a concrete dock. The firm secured over $1.3 million for the family when it was revealed that the boat operator had been drinking and speeding the night of the crash.
In a jet ski and boat crash, Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured $935,750 for their client.
In a boat case involving a foreign resort, the firm secured an $800,000 recovery for the injured client.
Another boating accident involving a negligent operator resulted in a $500,000 recovery.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, recently secured a settlement for the family of a young lobster diver and father-to-be. The lobster diver was in the water when a law enforcement officer failed to adhere to divers-down flag laws.
Previous Fire-Related Cases
Leesfield & Partners secured over $3.2 million for a honeymooning couple who were tragically burned as the result of an explosion at their vacation accommodation. The newlywed couple were treated for severe injuries and, devastatingly, the wife did not survive.
Over $2.9 million was secured for a family whose TV set caught fire at their condo, causing a dangerous blaze that claimed the life of their 13-year-old daughter. The father in that case was significantly burned while attempting to save his child.
Earlier this year, Trial Lawyer Eric Shane represented a man who was burned in an electrical incident.
Previously, the firm represented the surviving family of a mother and two children who were trapped in a house fire. The three could not escape the flames because the windows at the property could not be opened, an issue that was brought to the landlord’s attention but was never addressed. The fatal fire was caused by an electrical issue at the property.
The firm represented two clients in a case against a construction company for burns suffered while at a construction site. Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained a six-figure amount for the injured clients.
In a fatal fire incident, Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a six-figure settlement for a grieving family.
For a patient who was burned due to the negligence of medical personnel while undergoing a procedure in the operating room, the firm obtained a $600,000 recovery.
The firm settled a minor’s burn injuries for $300,000. In that case, the child was burned at a neighbor’s home by stew that was cooking on the stove. The 11-year-old boy ,sustained second-degree burns to his legs when the improperly installed range tipped forward on him. An investigation by our firm determined that the landlord’s failure to use anti-tip brackets paved the way for the incident to occur.
Previous Products Liability Cases
Leesfield & Partners is among the top products liability law firms in the country and has regularly earned recognition for record verdicts and settlements secured for clients injured by manufacturer error and other product defects. Previously, the firm has been recognized for its work litigating cases involving motor vehicles, aircrafts, motorcycles, ATVs, toys and juvenile products, medical devices and other consumer products. In a previous case, Mr. Leesfield secured one of the largest product liability verdicts in the country with a nearly $20 million recovery against Honda following a tragic case involving a motorcycle kickstand.
In that case, our 27-year-old client was in the middle of a ride on his Honda motorcycle at a high rate of speed when the kickstand unexpectedly deployed. As a result, the motorcycle spun out of control, causing a terrible accident. Our young client suffered a spinal cord injury that left him a high-level quadriplegic.
Mr. Leesfield secured a $19.8 million verdict at trial. This case was the start of several bike kickstand cases in which Mr. Leesfield represented numerous injured clients against companies like Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki.
“Importantly, the [kickstand] defect causing Todd’s injuries has been eliminated by Honda and no similar accidents have been reported since the re-design of the [kickstand],” Mr. Leesfield said.
Leesfield & Partners cases have continued to be catalysts for industry-wide change. Thanks to the work of our attorneys, issues within juvenile products, furniture and toys have been highlighted to warn against the possibility for injury. In a product liability case involving a fatal furniture tip-over incident, our attorneys secured a $17.5 million settlement.
A Central Florida 2-year-old tragically died in a furniture tip-over case in which a dresser was not secured to the wall. While the dresser was found to be compliant with industry standards, there were no warnings that such an incident could occur, leaving customers vulnerable to injury. The manufacturer agreed to settle the case and later brought about a change to its dresser catalog to address the lack of warnings.
Previously, the firm represented a family whose loved one died as the result of a tragic product liability case. The firm secured over $10.6 million for the family in that case.
In another case, the firm secured over $5 million for an injured client.
The firm previously represented a family whose toddler was strangled as the result of a defect with the child’s high chair. he firm represented the toddler’s family after his death and discovered that the manufacturer knew of over a dozen cases of other children who had been strangled by high chairs. Despite this knowledge, the manufacturer failed to warn parents of the potential dangers leaving them with the false security that their child would be safely and adequately restrained when left momentarily unattended in a high chair. Unfortunately for many devastated parents including our client, this was not the case. In that moment a child was found to easily slide against the tray and choke, a well-known safety risk within the child furniture manufacturing industry at the time.
A confidential settlement amount was secured at trial for the toddler’s grieving parents.
This case, handled by Mr. Leesfield, brought about industry-wide changes with harnesses, straps and tray sizes with the aim of preventing similar tragedies in the future.
