Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
Several boat passengers required air transport to a hospital after the boat they were on crashed into the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys Saturday, according to local media.
The incident happened Saturday and involved a 17-foot Mako, a brand of inshore fishing boat, allegedly being operated by a minor when it crashed. At least seven people were ejected from the vessel, including the young girl who was driving, according to local media. Several passengers were airlifted to a hospital in Miami.
There was no update on the condition of the injured as of Monday.
While authorities did not immediately say what caused the crash, they told reporters with Local 10 News that alcohol did not “appear to be a factor” in the incident.
This crash is being investigated by the Florida Fish Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Leesfield & Partners
With over 48 years of personal injury experience, Leesfield & Partners attorneys have represented numerous injured clients and grieving families following tragic boating incidents. These crashes can happen for a number of reasons such as operator inexperience, alcohol or drug usage, mechanical failure or poor visibility conditions. At Leesfield & Partners, our attorneys have represented clients throughout numerous cases involving one or several of these factors. Our skilled attorneys handle every case with the compassion, diligence and understanding of the law that is necessary to secure the best possible outcome for every client. In decades of personal injury experience, our firm has become among the top in the state, regularly securing leading results throughout Florida.
Monroe County, where Leesfield & Partners has one of three Florida offices, was listed as the area with the highest number of boating incidents in the state in 2023, according to the FWC’s annual report. These numbers showed that there were approximately 87 total accidents with 62 injuries. These incidents resulted in the deaths of at least three people. In that report, a shocking 83% of operators involved in fatal accidents had no formal boater’s education.
In 2024 data, Monroe County was the area with the second-highest number of boating incidents. The area with the most crashes in 2024 was Miami-Dade County, where Leesfield & Partners is headquartered. The latest available data shows that there were 75 total accidents in Miami-Dade County with eight fatalities and 41 injuries. In all, there were 685 reportable boating accidents in the state in 2024 compared to 659 in 2023. About 65% of 2024 boaters involved in the fatal accidents in Florida had no boater’s education, the report showed.
Previous Boating Cases
Previously, the firm represented the family of a 20-year-old woman who tragically died while a passenger on a boat that crashed into a concrete dock. The vessel was being operated by a boater who was speeding at night in low visibility when he crashed. Tragically, our client’s daughter was among the passengers ejected from the vessel, resulting in fatal injuries.
Through an investigation, our attorneys discovered that in addition to recklessly speeding, the boat operator had been drinking the night of the crash. The firm secured over $1.3 million for the family in that case.
Another horrific boating accident case handled by the firm involved a minor whose leg was later amputated following an incident aboard a vessel. This incident happened when the adults in charge failed to properly supervise the children in their care. A substantial recovery was obtained for the child.
Leesfield & Partners represented a family whose son was hit and killed by a negligent boater who did not stop when he hit their child. The boater, also a minor, attempted to lie and conceal evidence when questioned by authorities. Neighbors who later testified at trial said that the minor was known to regularly operate the vessel recklessly and without supervision. The firm settled the case for over $1.7 million.
In another boating incident, the firm obtained a $935,000 recovery for an injured client.
The firm recovered $800,000 for a client injured in a boating accident involving a foreign resort.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Attorney at the firm, recently settled a case on behalf of the family of a lobster diver hit and killed by a law enforcement officer in a boating accident.
Previous Jet Ski Cases
Leesfield & Partners is among the leaders in personal injury litigation involving various water-related sports, including jet ski crashes. This activity, said Partner Justin B. Shapiro in a previous Daily Business Review article, produces more fatalities and injuries than any other water-related activity.
In the last six years, Leesfield & Partners has secured over $10 million in jet ski crash recoveries for injured clients.
“Jet ski rentals are aggressively marketed as an ‘entry-level’ activity, when in reality, jet skis are full-blown death machines,” Mr. Shapiro said. “They require vast knowledge and expertise to operate safely and even then; they can produce grievous injuries.”
In 2024, personal watercrafts were involved in 149 of the 685 total boating incidents in Florida, according to the FWC report. These incidents resulted in the deaths of at least 12 people and the injury to over 100 others. A little over half of these incidents involved crashes with another vessel. About 24 of these incidents occurred in Miami-Dade County.
Recently, Mr. Shapiro filed a lawsuit against a cruise line whose jet ski tour guide crashed into our client from behind, causing multiple spinal fractures and severe injuries. That case is ongoing.
Previously, the firm handled a case in which a jet ski rental company failed to ensure all their customers understood a safety briefing. While they were out on the water, a French-speaking tourist struck and killed our client’s wife because he did not understand the tutorial.
The firm secured a multi-million-dollar result in that case for the grieving husband.
In another case, the firm secured more than $1.6 million for a client injured in a horrific jet ski accident.
