A Fort Lauderdale woman faces multiple charges after police say she led them on a high-speed chase Saturday in the Florida Keys.
Lianet Rodriguez, 35, was charged with felony fleeing and eluding police, a misdemeanor moving traffic violation, driving under the influence and resisting an officer.
The chase was sparked by multiple 911 calls that reported a car was driving into oncoming traffic and passing on the shoulder near mile marker 21, according to reporting from local news outlets. Mile Marker 21 is on Cudjoe Key.
When deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop, they told reporters that Rodriguez fled. They allege she sped off at more than 80 mph, causing deputies to later set down a spike strip at mile marker 32 on Big Pine Key to get her to stop.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with offices in Miami, Orlando and Key West. The firm’s nearly five decades of experience across the state has resulted in numerous record verdicts and settlements obtained on behalf of individuals or grieving families. As any seasoned personal injury attorney will admit, motor vehicle accidents are among the most common claims that come across their desks. These accidents can involve anything from whiplash to more serious and permanent injuries, such as those that are seen by the skilled trial attorneys at this law firm.
Our attorneys handle every case with the care, diligence and knowledge of the law necessary to return the best possible outcome for every client. In 49 years, Leesfield & Partners has obtained some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the state. One case handled by the firm resulted in over $95 million secured for a young man and his parents following the devastating loss of his sister after a crash with a drunk driver. In that case, the family was headed to the airport to drop off their 23-year-old daughter at the airport for her medical school’s orientation. While on the way, they were hit head-on by a drunk driver speeding the wrong way down I-95.
The family lost their daughter in that devastating crash and their son, then only 21 years old, suffered life-long injuries. As a result, he requires a wheelchair, round-the-clock care, and can no longer speak.
“The result in this case shows what hard work and creative lawyering can do for clients with devastating injuries,” said Ira Leesfield, a board certified attorney and the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner. “Along with co-counsel Aaron Davis, we are happy to settle with two defendants and to obtain this record verdict for them.”
This marks the largest verdict in Miami-Dade County history and is the fourth-largest in the state of its kind.
In decades of representing crash victims and their families, Mr. Leesfield and the attorneys at his firm have seen firsthand just how devastating these incidents can be. Over the years, the firm has partnered with The Leesfield Family Foundation — the charitable organization of Mr. Leesfield and his family — to provide essential support to programs and organizations supporting these victims and their families. The firm has previously partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and, in March of 2023, Mr. Leesfield joined the Board of Directors for The Underline, which aims to provide a community gathering space and improve pedestrian safety.
Previous Cases
Partner Justin B. Shapiro previously represented a family in a wrongful death motor vehicle case involving a pedestrian. A verdict of over $36 million was obtained for the family in that case.
In a motor vehicle accident involving negligent road construction, Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained over $29 million for the injured clients.
Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, obtained a $19.8 million verdict against Honda in a design defect case involving a motorcycle kickstand. In that case, our client was in the middle of a ride when the kickstand deployed and caused his motorcycle to spin out of control. He was paralyzed as the result of this violent collision.
This was the start of litigation against multiple manufacturers involving the same dangerous design defect handled by Mr. Leesfield on behalf of injured clients.
A $15.4 million recovery was obtained for a Fort Lauderdale handyman who was injured as a backseat passenger in a high-speed motor vehicle accident. The man in that case was in a car that was stopped at a drawbridge when another car hit it from behind, causing skull fractures, frontal lobe brain damage and facial fractures.
As a result of his injuries, our client developed a seizure disorder that could not be controlled by medication. This ended the then-22-year-old’s career as a handyman in the area.
Leesfield & Partners previously represented the families of three teenage girls after they were struck by a commercial truck driver making an illegal U-turn on the turnpike. The girls in that case were on their way to the library when the driver turned directly into their path. Tragically, one girl was killed and the other two sustained serious injuries.
Our attorneys worked tirelessly to settle the case for over $8.6 million for the families. The firm also obtained an over $7.6 million arbitration award for the family who lost their daughter.
In the case of a woman who was walking back to her office following a midday break, Mr. Shapiro secured the maximum recoverable amount set forth in the defendant’s insurance policy limits. The woman was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when a pickup truck driver made an illegal left turn, claiming to not have seen her. Injuries to our client included skull fractures and brain hemorrhages in addition to injuries to her left leg.
A $6 million settlement was secured for the client in that case.
In another pedestrian-involved case, Leesfield & Partners obtained a $2.9 million recovery our client who was injured due to a driver’s negligence.
The firm settled a pedestrian case in which our client was hit while walking on the sidewalk by a driver who was distracted by a cellphone. That case was resolved with a $1.5 million settlement.
In a tragic, fatal pedestrian case, Leesfield & Partners secured over $1.3 million for the driver’s negligence.
A child who was crossing the street suffered a traumatic brain injury after a driver hit him. In that case, Leesfield & Partners secured a $1.2 million settlement for the Fort Lauderdale family.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Attorney at the firm, secured a $1 million recovery for a family involved in a fatal car crash at the hands of a negligent driver.
Mr. Shane recently obtained a confidential amount for a young passenger who was injured in a severe Florida crash.
Mr. Pimentel obtained a confidential settlement for a family whose young son was severely injured when a car slammed through a Florida discount store’s windows.
Trial Attorney Evan Robinson secured a six-figure settlement for a client injured in a Monroe County crash.
In an ongoing case, Carlos A. Fabano, a Trial Attorney at the firm, is representing a pedestrian who was severely and permanently injured by a negligent driver.