Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
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.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident.
In Fort Lauderdale, an investigation continues into an alleged boating under the influence accident at a local dock. In that incident, which occurred Saturday, Aug. 15, a boat operator was accused of drunkenly crashing into other vessels at the marina until an altercation involving a gun took place.
Farther up the coast in Brevard County, officials are continuing to investigate a fatal boat crash in which a 56-year-old Merrit Island man was killed. This incident occurred on Wednesday, Aug. 5 in Skyes Creek, near the Merritt Island Airport, according to Florida Today. Police officers were called out to the location after getting calls reporting that a boat ran into the end of the airport’s runway.
Water-related activities define the lifestyle of countless Floridians and draw thousands of tourists to the state annually. Given this high volume of maritime activity, proper safety education is vital to prevent such tragedies. Everyone on the water must possess the emergency skills needed to handle the unexpected. However, as personal injury attorneys, Leesfield & Partners knows that many operators fail to meet these critical safety standards.
Leesfield & Partners
For five decades, Leesfield & Partners has represented the victims of motor vehicle accidents, premises liability and negligent security incidents, and of tragic boating and water-related crashes. With offices in coastal cities like Miami and Key West, our attorneys know how devastating these incidents can be on victims and the families left behind. The hearts of the firm’s attorneys and staff go out to the victim’s friends and family following this tragic incident. We look forward to the findings of the FWC’s investigation. Our skilled trial attorneys have secured record verdicts and settlements for injured clients throughout the state.
Education and prevention are key when it comes to protecting lives out on the water. The firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has steadfastly supported education efforts and stricter penalties for boaters who violate state law.
“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,” he said. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission revealed in their 2025 report—the year with the latest data publicly available—that there were nearly 700 reportable boating accidents for that year with 51 deaths and the injury to 437 people. About 67% of boaters involved in fatal boating accidents for that year had no formal boater’s education.
Monroe County, where Leesfield & Partners has represented countless clients over the decades and where this latest tragedy occurred, was the area with the highest number of accidents and injuries in the state. At least one person died in a 2025 Monroe County boating accident and 56 others were injured.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys handle numerous tragic and preventable boating cases every year. Justin B. Shapiro and Evan Robinson, a Trial Attorney at the firm, are representing a teen who suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of a water tubing accident.
Mr. Shapiro and Trial Attorney Eric Shane are representing a young girl who was enrolled in a South Florida summer camp when her leg was sliced by a boat propeller.
Leesfield & Partners is also representing those affected by the tragic sailboat-barge crash in Miami on July 28, including 13-year-old Erin Ko, who tragically died, and 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber, who survived.
That case is being handled by Mr. Shapiro and Trial Attorney Bernardo Pimentel II.
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.
Mr. Pimentel 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.
