Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
A man who survived a shark attack while swimming off the coast of Key West told reporters the nurses who stepped in to help him were his saving grace.
“I decided to stay positive and then, when I saw the two nurse people come up, they were like angels,” David Daniels told reporters with NBC 6 South Florida.
The incident happened around 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, near Boca Grande Key in Key West. Daniels was swimming near a recreational vessel, local media reported, and was near the sandbar when he was bitten. A person in his group exclaimed that there was a shark in the water and when Daniels turned to look, that is when the animal “beelined” toward him.
“There was so much blood in the water,” he recalled. “I said, ‘there’s no way you’re getting off this beach, bud.’ And I kind of just sat down on the beach and started to make peace with myself and I started thinking about my mom, who passed away in October, and she was definitely there with me.”
Nurses who were there at the time of the attack applied a tourniquet and attempted to keep him alert and speaking. He was taken to a hospital in Miami.
Additional information, including what type of shark was involved in the attack was not immediately available.
Florida Shark Attacks
Florida leads the nation in shark attacks, according to reporting from the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Researchers recorded at least 11 attacks in 2025. In 2024, there were about 14 unprovoked non-fatal shark attacks.
While these numbers might make readers want to avoid the ocean, officials with the Florida Museum of Natural History that track and record data on shark attacks, have noted that the likelihood of an unprovoked attack is relatively low. In fact, the data shows that the chances of such an attack are about one in 3.7 million. Over the last 144 years, the museum has recorded 17 shark attacks in Monroe County and 16 in Miami-Dade County, home to two of Leesfield & Partners’ Florida offices.
Everyone on the water should keep a safe and respectful distance from marine life. That being said, while shark attacks may grab headlines, they are not the most common danger on the water. That title goes to boating and other water-related incidents that cause hundreds of injuries and dozens of deaths each year. In 2025, the year with the latest data publicly available, there were approximately 694 reportable boating accidents throughout Florida. This data was obtained from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s annual Boating Accident Statistical Report. Nearly 400 people were injured and 51 died as a result of these incidents, the data showed. In 2024, there were about 685 reportable boating accidents that occurred in Florida. Of these incidents, nearly 400 people were injured and 81 people died. These horrific and preventable incidents are why Leesfield & Partners places such heavy emphasis on the importance of boating safety education and adherence to safe boating practices.
Leesfield & Partners: Boating Safety is ‘Entirely Underestimated’
News of crashes on the water are a near-constant headline seen year-round throughout Florida. Whether passengers were ejected from their vessel due to a crash with a mile marker or an intoxicated operator caused a devastating crash with another boat, these incidents happen far too often. Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with 50 years of experience handling such cases on behalf of injured clients and families. From one moment to the next, what was meant to be a fun-filled day on the water turns into a devastating, injury-causing event.
In five decades, our attorneys have secured numerous record verdicts and settlements throughout Florida, holding responsible entities accountable for the damages suffered by our clients. The attorneys at our firm continue to remain outspoken about the dangers of intoxicated and inexperienced boating. In 2025 and 2024, the FWC noted in their reports that more than half of the boaters involved in fatal crashes had no formal boater’s 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,” said Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
Currently, the firm is representing multiple victims of separate boating and water-related injuries in ongoing cases.
In an ongoing case, Partner Justin B. Shapiro and Trial Attorney Eric Shane are representing an 11-year-old girl whose leg was sliced by a counselor’s boat while attending a summer camp. The girl’s right leg was cut to the bone and nearly amputated. As a result of this unthinkable incident, our client’s life has been forever impacted.
Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Shane are also representing the 7-year-old survivor of a tragic sailboat-barge crash in Miami Beach that killed three other children.
The firm is representing the family of 13-year-old Erin Ko, one of the three girls who tragically died in that incident. That case is being handled by Mr. Shapiro and Trial Attorney Bernardo Pimentel II.
“Many boaters are unfamiliar with the most basic navigation rules and actions necessary to avoid collisions in vessel traffic,” Mr. Shapiro said. “I look forward to the Coast Guard’s findings and hope the boating community can learn from this horrific incident.”
Mr. 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.
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 lie 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.
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.
If you, or someone you know, were involved in a boating accident or other water-related incident in Florida, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 800-836-6400 to see if you may be eligible to make a claim.
