At least two people were injured over the weekend when the boat they were on hit a channel marker in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from ABC Channel 7 News.
The incident happened Sunday, Nov. 16, when the boat hit the 74A channel marker in Cowpens Cut, west of Plantation Key, the U.S. Coast Guard said in an online statement. The marker was missing from the structure immediately following this incident.
Both people aboard the vessel were rescued by a nearby Good Samaritan and were taken to the hospital.
Photos shared by authorities show the vessel with severe impact damage to the starboard bow, including splintered fiberglass and scrapes to its hull.
Additional details were not immediately available. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating this incident.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a 49-year personal injury law firm with extensive maritime experience. The firm’s skilled trial attorneys have represented cruise ship accident victims as well as those injured in accidents involving jet skis, parasailing, boating, scuba diving, snorkeling and other water-related activities. In that time, the firm has obtained record verdicts and settlements for clients throughout the state, including in the Florida Keys.
As a popular vacation destination, Monroe County attracts millions of visitors every year. With that, comes with an increased number of boats on the water, many of which are being operated by people with little to no boater’s education.
A lack of boater’s education and boating under the influence are just two of many issues surrounding boating safety in the state that Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, has spoken out about in recent years.
Mr. Leesfield routinely issues safety advisories via the firm’s digital sign — situated outside of the Miami office on the city’s most-used highway — alerting passersby to the dangers on the water. He has previously expressed his support for safety initiatives including Lucy’s Law, which is set to take effect starting July 1. This law, named in honor of Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, a 17-year-old Our Lady of Lourdes Academy student who died in a tragic 2022 Boca Chita crash, aims to create stricter penalties for boating violations and increase education.
“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.”
In a 2025 interview, Partner Justin B. Shapiro discussed Lucy’s Law, legislation named in honor of Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, a high school student who died in Miami in a 2022 boating accident. The law, which went into effect on July 1, 2025, is meant to increase boating education in the state while also increasing penalties for boaters who leave the scene of an accident resulting in an injury or death.
“I think these are long overdue changes,” Mr. Shapiro said. “We have seen far too many fatalities and grievous injuries from boating crashes over the years.”
There were over 680 collisions throughout Florida in 2024 and allisions were the main cause of these incidents, according to data reported annually by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. These accidents resulted in a total of 81 deaths and 394 injuries. At least 65% of boaters involved in all fatal incidents did not have formal boater’s education and alcohol or drug used played a role in approximately 36% of boating fatalities.
Previous Cases
Previously, the firm secured a substantial settlement in a case involving a minor who lost a leg while not being supervised on a vessel.
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 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.
In addition to boating accident litigation, Leesfield & Partners have 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.