World Atlas has released the Sunshine State’s 11 most scenic drives and the Florida Keys’ iconic Overseas Highway was first on the list.
The road, which stretches 113 miles from Key Largo to Key West, boasts breathtaking, panoramic views of the water around it. The bridge spans 43 islands and serves as the only road connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland.
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. In that time, the firm has handled numerous motor vehicle accident cases, including several on the Overseas Highway.
Leesfield & Partners
Car crashes resulting in injury are among the most common claim type handled by Leesfield & Partners attorneys. Our skilled trial lawyers have handled numerous tragic cases of this type over nearly five decades throughout Florida. With offices in Miami, Key West and Orlando, our attorneys have secured multiple record verdicts and settlements for injured clients and grieving families.
One such case involves a family whose lives were forever changed when a speeding, drunk driver caused a head-on collision. The driver had been overserved at a Miami bar and was going down the wrong side of I-95. The family was on their way to drop their daughter off at her medical school’s orientation. Tragically, the daughter did not survive the crash. She was just 23.
The family’s son, 21, was left with life-altering injuries that left him requiring a wheelchair and round-the-clock care.
At trial, a Miami-Dade County jury awarded over $95 million to the family with $57 million going to their son and $38 million to the parents. This case marks the largest verdict in a motor vehicle crash in the 11th Judicial Circuit and is among the fourth-largest car accident verdict in the state.
Our attorney’s tenacity in securing the best possible outcome for every client, combined with unwavering dedication, is evident in these record-setting results.
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 previous road-injury case, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, represented a motorcyclist who was seriously injured when his bike’s kickstand deployed while in motion. In that case, the bike’s kickstand – a problem known to manufacturers at the time – deployed, resulting in the motorcycle spinning out of control. As a result, he was left paralyzed.
The company refused to settle, and a jury returned a $19.8 million verdict for our 27-year-old client. This product liability lawsuit resulted in Mr. Leesfield traveling the country to litigate issues with motorcycle kickstands.
The firm secured a $15.4 million award in a Florida Supreme Court case involving an injured Fort Lauderdale handyman. In that case, our 22-year-old client was a backseat passenger in a car that was stopped at a drawbridge when a speeding and drunk driver hit the car from behind. The result was a devastating crash that left the handyman with skull fractures, damage to the frontal lobe of his brain and facial fractures. He needed corrective surgery to repair the damage and later developed a seizure disorder that made him unable to resume his previous work.
A truck crash that impacted the lives of three girls resulted in an over $8.6 million settlement and a wrongful death arbitration award of over $7.9 million. In that case, the three girls were on their way to the library when a commercial truck driver made an illegal U-turn on the turnpike, turning directly into their path. Two of the three girls were seriously injured. Tragically, the third girl did not survive.
Leesfield & Partners represented a family whose vacation to South Florida from Toronto, Canada, turned into a nightmare due to the negligence of a pickup truck driver. The family was staying in Fort Myers when a wife and mother was crushed by the driver while crossing the street with her family. The driver claimed not to have seen the woman in the roadway.
The case was settled with an $8.5 million settlement following a $27 million arbitration award.
One case handled by the firm involved a bicyclist who was stopped off the shoulder of the Overseas Highway when she was hit by a negligent and distracted driver. The driver in this case was fiddling with their GPS when they lost control of their vehicle, causing life-threatening injuries.
The firm settled the case for $5.35 million.
A settlement was reached in a fatal Florida Keys crash on the Seven Mile Bridge. In that case, an officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission failed to adhere to weight limits for the trailer she was using to tow a 31-foot-long fishing boat. As she drove, the trailer began fishtailing from side-to-side, causing her to lose control and go straight into oncoming traffic. The officer barreled directly into our client’s path, causing a horrific, head-on collision and explosion. At least two people died in this crash.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys worked tirelessly on this case and obtained an unlikely result against a governmental agency — a settlement above the available insurance coverage and statutory cap for damages.
Recently, Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Attorney at the firm, secured a $1 million settlement for a family in a fatal accident.
Eric 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 window.
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.