Injuries

Published on: September 25, 2025

Child on the mend after shark bite in the Florida Keys. There’s another hazard in the area you’re more likely to face.

The family of an 8-year-old boy from Pinecrest, Florida, who was attacked by a shark while snorkeling near Key Largo said he is getting stronger each day.

The boy, identified as Richard Burrows, was snorkeling with his father, David, and 10-year-old sister, Rose, around 3:24 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 1. when he was bitten by a blacktip shark, according to reporting from national media.

A Good Samaritan helped Burrows apply a tourniquet to Richard’s right leg while they waited for emergency responders. He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where he underwent surgery.

Published on: September 4, 2025

Florida Keys Firefighters Race Flames of Boat Fire to Stop Spread to House, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

Firefighters in the City of Marathon raced against the clock Wednesday morning to extinguish a boat fire in a residential driveway before the flames could spread to the home, according to local reports.

Emergency responders were called out to the 200 block of Camino Road in the Middle Keys just before 2 a.m. for reports of a fire. When they arrived, they found a 20-foot Sea Pro vessel that was engulfed in flames in the driveway of the home. Deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office had allegedly attempted to put the fire out using fire extinguishers because it had “begun to char the front of the house,” according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Thankfully, the home was not occupied, and firefighters were able to out the flames. While shutting off power to the home, firefighters discovered damaged wires. It remains unclear whether the damage sparked the fire or was caused by it.

Published on: August 15, 2025

Researchers’ Bio-Engineered Molecule May be First-Ever Antidote for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A new protein therapy discovered by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine may be the first-ever antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning, officials with the school announced this week.

The announcement followed the publication of their new study in the journal for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). This came after researchers had bio-medically engineered a new molecule that could prove fruitful with reversing the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. The new molecule, said study corresponding author Dr. Mark T. Gladwin, has fewer side effects than other molecules that are currently being tested, including only minimal changes to blood pressure.

“This has the potential to become a rapid, intravenous antidote for carbon monoxide that could be given in the emergency department or even in the field by first-responders,” he said.

Published on: June 27, 2025

Man, 23, ‘Vanishes’ on Utah Lake Following Jet Ski Crash, officials say

By Leesfield & Partners

A 23-year-old disappeared after he flipped on a jet ski in a Utah lake with his cousin, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The man, whose name had not been released as of Wednesday afternoon, was last seen around 5:30 p.m. on June 22 near a marina, officials with the Utah County Sherrif’s Office Search and Rescue team said via a Facebook news release. The man was riding the jet ski with his cousin, who was rescued by someone in a nearby boat.

The search continued until at least 1 a.m. on June 23. Some witnesses reported seeing waves between 2 and 3 feet high.

Published on: May 20, 2025

Seven Passengers Ejected Following Seven Mile Bridge Crash Over the Weekend in the Florida Keys.

By Leesfield & Partners

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.

Published on: March 6, 2025

Boater accused in 2022 Crash that Killed High Schooler Ordered Not to Contact Victim’s Family

By Leesfield & Partners

A circuit court judge ordered George Pino, the 54-year-old Doral real estate broker facing vessel homicide charges related to the 2022 boat crash that killed an Our Lady of Lourdes Academy student, to no longer contact the teen’s parents during trial.

Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez granted the order Wednesday, barring Pino from contacting the family of 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez via a third-party, social media, electronically or in person for the remainder of the trial. The text message was reportedly sent last week from Pino to the girl’s parents that “appealed to both families’ Catholic faith,” according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

While Tinkler Mendez said in court she did not believe the message was sent with “intentional malfeasance,” prosecutors said it could be interpreted as intimidation or witness tampering.