A Broward County man is facing criminal charges after authorities say he crashed his 21-foot center console vessel into a sailboat, resulting in at least one death in the Florida Keys.
Guy Erdman,61, of Oakland Park, was charged Wednesday with manslaughter, boating under the influence and several other misdemeanor charges, according to officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The crash happened on Dec. 27 around 8 p.m. with Erdman’s vessel and a sailboat that was anchored in Buttonwood Sound in Key Largo. Erdman was ejected from the vessel along with three passengers. A passing boater rescued Erman and two passengers from the water, but the third, Sydney Cole, 24, of North Carolina, was missing, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.
Her body was found hours later by police. Officials with the FWC told reporters with The Herald that Erdman’s blood-alcohol content was allegedly more than twice the legal limit.
The sailboat had two people on board, a 71-year-old man and 70-year-old woman, who were not injured in the crash. The man, identified as William Bradley Miller, ventured outside of the sailboat cabin and boarded a dinghy to assess the damage. Erman’s son is accused of pushing the man off of the dinghy and then, when the man got back on, of punching him in the face several times.
Asa result, Christopher Erdman was charged with felony battery on a person 65 years old or older. This charge was dropped in March when he entered into a program wherein he agreed to stay out of legal trouble for the next six months, according to reporting from The Herald.
Guy Erdman is set to be arraigned on July 15.
Leesfield & Partners
When families set out for boat days, little ones are strapped into lifejackets and coolers are packed with sandwiches and snacks. No one worries about boat crashes. However, after 49 years of personal injury practice, Leesfield & Partners knows they are all too common throughout the state.
With over 650 boating incidents recorded in 2024, the year with the latest data available from the FWC’s annual boating report, this firm knows the risks that come with boating.
Of those more than 650 incidents, at least 81 people were killed and nearly 400 others were injured. The most common cause of a boating collision is a crash with a fixed object and the most common cause of death in a boating accident was from drowning after passengers were ejected into the water.
Interestingly, more than 65% of boaters involved in fatal crashes had no formal boater education.
Life jackets and boater education are the two pillars upon which Ira Leesfield, the Founder and Managing Partner of Leesfield & Partners, has built his boating safety platform. After decades of representing injured clients and their grieving families throughout various water-related injury cases, Mr. Leesfield knows firsthand the heavy toll that these incidents can take on individuals and families.
Driven by a need to help raise awareness around preventable boating tragedies, Mr. Leesfield regularly speaks out via local media outlets and the firm’s social media posts. Additionally, he posts about boating and jet ski safety on his digital sign outside of the firm’s Miami office on U.S. 1 — Miami’s most-used highway — to further promote awareness.
The firm has handled numerous water-related injury cases over the years, earning its attorneys a reputation of consistently pursuing the best possible outcome in every case. Our skilled trial attorneys work diligently and compassionately and have secured record results for clients throughout Florida.
“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 Cases
Previously, the firm represented a minor who was negligently supervised by the adults charged with his care. While the minor was on the vessel, he was involved in an accident and lost a limb as a result.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained a substantial settlement in that case.
The firm previously handled the case of 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 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.
In addition to boating accident litigation, Leesfield & Partners has represented the victims of various water-related accidents, including drownings, jet ski crashes, parasailing, and other recreational activities.
The firm represented the widow of a man who drowned while on a boat tour at the Dry Tortugas National Park. The company’s tour guides instructed the man where he should go to snorkel and, within minutes, his body was found unresponsive.
The firm secured a six-figure recovery in that case.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Leesfield & Partners Trial Attorney, represented the family of a young man and father-to-be who was lobster diving when he was killed by a law enforcement officer who negligently failed to adhere to divers-down flag laws.
Previous Jet Ski Cases
Leesfield & Partners has represented numerous clients and grieving loved ones throughout devastating jet ski injury cases. In the last several years alone, the firm has obtained over $10 million in results in these types of cases. In an article from the Daily Business Review, Partner Justin B. Shapiro explained that while jet skis may look as though they are easy enough to maneuver and are marketed as a machine for beginners, they actually produce more injuries and deaths than any other water-related recreational activity seen by this firm.
Mr. Shapiro is currently handling an ongoing case involving a woman who was significantly injured while on a cruise ship jet ski excursion. In that case, our client was hit from behind while on a jet ski by the cruise line’s tour guide. She suffered spinal fractures and severe bruising.
The firm also represented a man whose wife was killed in a jet ski incident when a rental company failed to ensure that all their customers understood how to operate their jet skis. One man, a French-speaking tourist, did not. The man’s wife died as a result of a collision.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to secure a multi-million-dollar settlement for the grieving husband in that case.
In another jet ski crash, a man visiting from California with his family was seriously injured when he violently crashed into a concrete bridge piling. The man was on a guided jet ski tour with his family at the time. The guides, who are required to prep their customers for the strong currents they would face, led them through a narrow bridge opening and sped far away from them throughout the tour the day the man crashed.
Leesfield & Partners previously represented a jet ski crash victim who suffered serious injuries and obtained a $1 million recovery for that client.
The firm secured a $935,000 recovery for a client involved in a jet ski collision with a boat.
A $900,000 recovery was obtained for a client injured in an accident involving a jet ski company.
A jet ski crash case involving a rental company resulted in a six-figure settlement amount obtained for an injured Leesfield & Partners client.