boating under the influence

Published on: July 28, 2025

City of Miami Honors 2022 Boat Crash Survivor’s ‘Unbreakable Will to Move Forward.’

Katerina “Katy” Puig, who survived the 2022 Boca Chita boat crash that killed her classmate, was honored by the City of Miami, which proclaimed Thursday, July 10, as “Katy Puig Day,” according to The Miami Herald.

Puig was celebrated for her bravery Thursday by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez who presented her with a plaque while she attended the ceremony with her parents, Kathya and Rudy Puig.

Since the September 2022 crash that resulted in the tragic death of Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, 20-year-old Puig remains in physical therapy to regain motor skills. She currently requires the use of a wheelchair after suffering brain injuries from the crash.

Published on: January 14, 2025

Four People Rescued from Sinking Boat off Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least four people were rescued from a sinking boat off the coast of Marathon, Florida, Sunday.

Th incident happened about 11 miles off the coast around 5 p.m. when a distress signal reached the U.S. Coast Guard. A crew was sent out to find the 27-foot, sinking vessel and its four passengers.

Additional information including what caused the boat to sink or whether anyone was injured were not immediately available Monday.

Published on: September 18, 2024

Helicopter Stops Speeding Boat from Hitting Swimmers, Preventing a ‘Mass Casualty Disaster,’ Officials Say

By Leesfield & Partners

A speeding boat gunning for hundreds of swimmers and kayakers participating in a local event in Islamorada Saturday was stopped by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helicopter.

“From our angle, he was the only thing stopping that boat from going across all of those people,” Capt. Matt Bellinger, a local fishing guide who was on the water that day, told reporters with Florida Keys News.

The driver of the boat, identified as 55-year-old Thomas Michael Reichert, of Naples, Florida, was charged with boating under the influence, possessing spiny lobster tails and operating a boat in a safety zone, local news outlets reported Wednesday. Reichert is alleged to have 12 wrung tails on board, a second-degree misdemeanor.