Car Accidents

Published on: October 22, 2025

‘Look for these kids who dart out of nowhere:’ Monroe County Sheriff Offers Advice for the Area Ahead of Halloween.

Monroe County, a cluster of islands off Florida’s southern coast, is accustomed to an influx of tourists during events like Halloween, but, this year, the sheriff is emphasizing one priority above all — public safety.

In an advisory posted Monday, Oct. 20, to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office official Facebook page, Sheriff Rick Ramsey noted that the increased crowds in the keys in the week leading up to Halloween might cause traffic and other issues.

“So, look for officers giving you directions, but, more so, look for these kids who dart out of nowhere … ” he said. “Put your phones down, no distracted driving.”

Published on: September 30, 2025

One Dead in U.S. 1 Crash in Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman and a dog have died, and a man was injured during a car crash on U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys Tuesday morning, according to reporting from local media.

The head-on collision occurred around 11 a.m. on Summerland Key at mile marker 19.

The woman, 44, whose name has not yet been released by authorities, was heading southbound on U.S. 1 in a Kia sedan when she drifted into the northbound lane, hitting a Ford pickup truck going in the opposite direction.

Published on: September 9, 2025

World Atlas Names Florida’s 11 Most Scenic Drives. Can You Guess Where?

By Leesfield & Partners

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.

Published on: August 18, 2025

High-Speed Chase in Florida Keys Results in Police Using Spike Strips. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

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.

Published on: August 5, 2025

Tesla Trial Ends in 2019 Florida Keys Fatal Crash, $242.6 Million to Families. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

After a three-week-long trial, a Miami jury awarded $242.6 million to the families affected by a deadly 2019 crash in the Florida Keys.

The jury deliberated for about seven hours, according to reporting from The Miami Herald, and decided Tesla’s Autopilot system was partially responsible. As a result, the world-renowned company will be forced to pay $200 million in punitive damages and $42.6 million in compensatory damages to the surviving family members of Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, and her boyfriend, 33-year-old Dillon Angulo.

In the years since the technology was first launched, statements have been made about Tesla S’s ability to stop itself or avoid road obstacles in its path with little to no driver assistance. Angulo and the Benavides Leon family’s attorneys argued that the company was making false claims about its Autopilot system.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Lawsuit Against Tesla Set to Start Monday Over Fatal Model S Crash in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A trial is set to begin Monday, July 14, six years after 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon was killed and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, 27, was injured in a horrific crash involving a Tesla Model S on autopilot.

The crash happened on April 25, 2019, when the couple was on a date and had pulled onto the shoulder of Card Sound Road in the Upper Keys. The driver, George McGee, was driving his 2019 Tesla Model S about 62 mph through an intersection and crashed into Leon and Angulo’s vehicle, according to reporting from Reuters. The two were standing beside the vehicle.

Before the crash, McGee allegedly reached down to pick up a cellphone and ran both a stop sign and a stop light before hitting the car, reporters said in the article.

Published on: April 22, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Representing Client in Key West Motor Scooter Accident Case. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners is representing a Key West motor scooter rider whose life was upended after a negligent driver struck him, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury

Our 46-year-old client was approaching a Key West intersection on his motor scooter when a driver, who had a stop sign, failed to yield the right of way to our client, causing a collision between the vehicle and the scooter. Our client was ejected from his scooter and hit the driver’s windshield, significantly cracking it before falling unconscious to the ground. He was transported to the hospital with a crushed left tibia and fibula and severe head trauma.

When speaking with the authorities at the scene, the driver claimed to not have seen our client.

Published on: March 6, 2025

Three Hospitalized Following Crash Monday on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys

By Leesfield & Partners

Three people were airlifted to the hospital following a head-on crash on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys Monday afternoon, according to reporting from local media.

The crash happened around 2 p.m. between a GMC Denali pickup truck and a BMW SUV. Photos from the Miami Herald show the mangled aftermath of the collision and first responders scrambling around the BMW, the front of both vehicles appeared to be crushed in photos.

The pickup was heading south and turned into the northbound lane and struck the BMW, officials with the Florida Highway Patrol told reporters. Officials said they did not know why the truck turned into the northbound lane.

Published on: January 14, 2025

Concerns Flagged over E-Bikes in Key West at Latest City Commission Meeting. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Officials raised concerns about e-bikes in Key West this week at the first City Commission Meeting of 2025.

The concern was flagged by Donie Lee, the City Commissioner and former police chief, who said the issue could not be solved with “more enforcement,” according to reporting from the Key west Citizen. His suggestion was to ban the electronic modes of transport from multi-use pathways to protect pedestrians and traditional cyclists from potential crashes.

Tom Malone, a resident who disagreed with Lee, spoke out during the public comments section of the meeting to share his experience as an avid walker throughout the community. As a pedestrian, he said, these electronic modes of transport present a significant hazard to pedestrians.

Published on: January 6, 2025

Florida father accused of drunk driving in deadly crash that killed 5-year-old faces charges, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

A father who was allegedly driving drunk the day he crashed his car into a tree, killing his daughter, 5, and injuring his son, 3, faces DUI manslaughter charges, police said in a Dec. 31 news release.

The crash happened in Polk County, Florida, on Nov. 7 when a father, who is not being named to protect the identity of his son, was allegedly three times over the legal limit when he was behind the wheel. The man picked up his children from their grandfather’s home, missed a turn and ran a stop sign, according to police. He later crashed into a tree and the car went up in flames. The man’s daughter died in the incident and his 3-year-old son suffered burns to his face.

The man tried getting his son out of the car but fell to the ground. A passerby helped the child. The father was also injured in the crash, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.