Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
A 49-year-old man died following a crash near the West Gateway Boulevard Bridge in Boynton Beach’s E-4 Canal Sunday evening, according to local media.
The man was identified as Jeffrey Civitano, of Sunrise, Florida.
Emergency responders were called out to the area just before 6 p.m. after a report of a jet ski crash. Police told reporters that the jet ski was traveling northbound in the canal at the time of the crash. Civitano was found in the water while the jet ski continued traveling north on its own.
A Good Samaritan attempted to pull him from the water before first responders arrived. He died at the scene.
Additional details were not immediately available.
This case is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Boynton Police Department.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with offices in Miami, Key West and Orlando. Operating out of the Sunshine State, this law firm has seen countless devastating and preventable jet ski crashes that cause life-altering injuries and the deaths of our clients’ loved ones. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to our white-sanded shores to rent jet skis or participate in guided tours and, every year, injuries are reported.
This is the latest incident of a tragic jet ski ride gone wrong. On Aug. 12 in Fort Lauderdale, a 13-year-old girl — Rachel Aliza Nisanov — died after the jet ski she was on with her sister, 16, crashed into a concrete dock. The two were accompanied from their parents while the family was visiting from New York. The girl’s sister, Aviva Bracha Nisanov, was rushed to Broward medical Center in critical condition. Officials have since released a statement to the media that Rachel is in stable condition and recovering following the harrowing ordeal.
Data from the FWC’s annual boating accident report shows that there was a total of 685 reportable boating incidents in the state in 2024 with 81 fatalities and nearly 400 injuries. Of these incidents, at least 149 involved personal watercraft such as jet skis. Over half of these PWC accidents were caused by a collision with another vessel. At least 12 people were killed and 113 others were injured in these crashes, the data showed.
The firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has been championing boating safety initiatives in Florida for decades.
“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.”
With decades of personal injury experience throughout Florida, Leesfield & Partners knows just how common and catastrophic jet ski crashes can be.
In an article discussing such crashes, Partner Justin B. Shapiro explained that no other water-related activity produces more injuries than jet ski crashes. The reason is twofold — not enough people are prepared for the sheer strength needed to maneuver these watercrafts through the waves and, though they are marketed as “beginner friendly,” the reality is starkly different.
“As the summer months yield their inevitable slew of injuries, prospective renters should be aware of the life-threatening dangers of jet skis, and their attorneys should be intimately familiar with the many regulations that were enacted to keep them safe,” he said.
The firm has various boating and jet ski injury cases in varying stages of the legal process.
In an ongoing case, Mr. Shapiro is representing a woman who suffered spinal fractures and severe bruising while out on a jet ski excursion as a cruise ship passenger. The cruise ship marketed the excursion as one for beginners, attracting our client who did not have extensive experience with personal watercrafts. While they were out on the water, the jet ski excursion’s tour guide violently slammed into her from behind on his personal watercraft in an attempt to pass our client.
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.
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.
Previous Cases
Leesfield & partners’ six skilled trial attorneys have secured numerous multi-million dollar settlements for clients and their grieving families at the hands in nearly five decades.
In the last several years alone, the firm has secured more than $10 million in verdicts and settlements for clients injured as the result of jet ski crashes in the state.
One avoidable death that altered the life of a couple forever resulted from a Key West rental company flouting necessary safety training requirements, as mandated by law. The company failed to ensure that every one of their renters understood the safety tutorial and knew how to operate the personal watercraft that day. A French-speaking renter, who they did not adequately prep, fatally collided with the wife of a Leesfield & Partners client. The company failed to provide their customer with the translation he needed to understand how to use the jet ski.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to secure a multi-million-dollar settlement for the family in that case.
In another jet ski crash, a man visiting from California with his family was seriously injured when he violently crashed into a concrete bridge piling. The man was on a guided jet ski tour with his family at the time. The guides, who are required to prep their customers for the strong currents they would face, led them through a narrow bridge opening and sped far away from them throughout the tour the day the man crashed.
Leesfield & Partners previously represented a jet ski crash victim who suffered serious injuries and obtained a $1 million recovery for that client.
The firm secured a $935,000 recovery for a client involved in a jet ski collision with a boat.
A $900,000 recovery was obtained for a client injured in an accident involving a jet ski company.
A jet ski crash case involving a rental company resulted in a six-figure settlement amount obtained for an injured Leesfield & Partners client.
Boating Tragedies Handled by Leesfield & Partners
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.
