Key West Injury Lawyer Blog

Published on: August 21, 2026

Here’s How Leesfield & Partners Transformed a Limited Insurance Coverage into a Seven-Figure Result for an Injured Client.

Following a $1,320,000 recovery for a Key West motor scooterist, Leesfield & Partners is highlighting the importance of exhaustive personal injury investigations and the importance of a homeowner maintaining clear sight lines near roadways.

“Our investigations are always relentless in cases with limited insurance coverage, and this case was no different,” said Partner Justin B. Shapiro. “The at-fault driver had only $10,000 in coverage, but we found a path to justice and turned this into a seven-figure case with creative and tenacious lawyering.”

In December of 2024, our client was leaving the mechanic shop where he worked on his motor scooter. While traveling westbound on Northside Drive, he approached the intersection of 18^th Terrace and had the clear right-of-way. A driver with a stop sign at the same intersection failed to stop and hit our client, sending him airborne before he crashed onto the asphalt and landed on his head. As a result, he suffered an ankle fracture that required surgery.

Published on: August 20, 2026

Authorities Investigating Fatal Florida Keys Boat Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman died after she was ejected from a boat in the Florida Keys over the weekend, according to reporting from NBC 6 South Florida.

The woman, 52, of Hialeah, Florida, was on a 35-foot SeaVee Sunday, Aug. 16 with at least three others, police told reporters. The vessel was traveling north on the Intracoastal Waterway near Tavernier and, as it made a turn, all passengers were ejected into the water.

At least two other people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, the station reported.

Published on: August 20, 2026

Man Dies After Scuba Dicing in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A scuba diver who died at a Florida Keys hospital after needing rescue this week has been identified as a Michigan man, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Stephen Matheny, 64, of West Bloomfield Township died at Fisherman’s Hospital in Marathon on Monday Aug. 10. Matheny was diving in the area around 11:20 a.m. Monday when he “became unresponsive,” authorities said. He was pulled from the water and those with him immediately began CPR.

The U.S. Coast Guard took him to the hospital where he later died. It was not immediately clear whether Matheny was with a commercial dive boat or not.

Published on: August 20, 2026

Mistrial Declared in Fatal 2022 Parasailing Crash in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Federal Judge declared a mistrial on Monday, Aug. 3, in the case of a Florida Keys boat captain who was charged in a fatal 2022 parasailing accident.

The trial began on Monday, July 27, and involved jurors listening to testimony of what occurred on May 30, 2022, when 33-year-old Supraja Alaparthi, of Schaumburg Illinois, went parasailing with her son, 10, and 7-year-old nephew. After six days of deliberations, a federal jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, Local 10 News reported. The case will be scheduled for a new trial.

The 53-year-old boat captain was charged with voluntary manslaughter and seaman’s manslaughter. If convicted of voluntary manslaughter, a person would be guilty of a second-degree felony and could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. A person who is found guilty of seaman’s manslaughter may face up to 10 years in prison.

Published on: August 10, 2026

Authorities Pull Missing Divers from the Water in Monroe County. What Happened?

By Leesfield & Partners

At least three people were in need of rescue during the spiny lobster mini season, an annual two-day window of fishing before commercial traps are set, in Monroe County, according to local media.

On Wednesday, July 29, officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were on the water after receiving reports about three missing divers in Monroe County. The group was separated from their vessel while diving off of Duck Key in the Middle Keys.

Bodycam footage from the officers posted by The Miami Herald shows authorities as they approached the divers who were bobbing in the water. Some of the divers had tanks strapped to their backs and thanked officers as they were pulled onboard the vessel.

Published on: July 30, 2026

What Authorities Said Ahead of the 2026 Lobster Sport Season. Here’s What Florida Keys Divers Should Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Every year, thousands of tourists and locals alike wait to dive beneath the surface of the Florida Keys’ sparkling waters during lobster season.

Invariably, however, this highly anticipated, annual event does not come without incident. From arrests for overfishing to more devastating boating accidents, authorities are cautioning divers and boaters to be safe out on the water.

In its latest, publicly available report, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission noted that there were 694 reportable boating accidents in 2025. These incidents resulted in 51 deaths and injuries to 437 people. The agency reported that 67% of fatal incidents in 2025 involved vessel operators without formal boater education.

Published on: July 10, 2026

How Many People Have Drowned in Florida in 2026? What to Know About Water Safety in the Sunshine State.

By Leesfield & Partners

One moment, a toddler chases a wayward ball on the patio.

The next, they are teetering over the pool’s edge.

It can happen in a matter of seconds and go unnoticed until it is too late.

Published on: July 7, 2026

Boat Fire Destroys Vessel in Monroe County. What Happened?

By Leesfield & Partners

A 44-foot yacht was destroyed in a blaze that broke out at a Key Largo marina ahead of the July Fourth weekend, according to officials with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire broke out Thursday at the Anchorage Resort & Yacht Club in Key Largo. Thankfully, MCSO officials reported, no one was on board the boat at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The blaze appeared to have been contained to the singular vessel and no further damage was reported.

No cause of the fire has been publicly released. Photos posted online by the MCSO show firefighters battling the blaze and the singed vessel immediately following the fire.

Published on: July 7, 2026

Two Injured in Florida Keys Boat Crash Over July Fourth Weekend. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least one woman was taken to the hospital, and another person was injured after a boat crashed into a Florida Keys channel over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to local media.

The crash happened Sunday, July 5, around 3:20 p.m., reporters with The Miami Herald said. The vessel that the two were on crashed into the Harris Gap Channel Bridge on Sugarloaf Key. At least one other person was aboard the vessel at the time of the crash and was injured, according to Local 10 News.

The woman, whose name has not been released as of Monday, July 6, was taken to a hospital on the mainland for treatment. A spokesperson for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) told reporters that she had non-life-threatening injuries. It is unclear whether the second person required transport to a local hospital.

Published on: July 7, 2026

Police in Sarasota Pull Over This Jet Ski Rider, Sparking Controversy Online. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Police in Sarasota flagged down a young boy who was operating a jet ski by himself in June, resulting in legal trouble for his parents and a hot debate online.

“That’s right, you have to be 14 in the state of Florida,” Ron Dixon, the officer with the Sarasota Police Marine Patrol Unit who was involved, later told a reporter with Fox 13 Tampa Bay News.

The incident occurred on Sunday, June 14, in the waters of Big Pass when the officer, who was out on the water on his own vessel, flagged down the 8-year-old operator. In bodycam footage of the event, the minor can be seen approaching the officer’s boat wearing a life jacket.