"Ira Leesfield"

Published on: May 12, 2025

Boy, 15, Killed in Florida Keys Rollover Crash. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Crash Victims for 48 Years.

A 15-year-old passenger was killed in a single-car rollover crash in Tavernier, an unincorporated town in the Upper Keys near Key Largo, according to local media.

The crash happened Monday night as the driver made a sharp left-hand turn into a local shopping center at mile marker 91. The boy, who was riding in the passenger-side seat, was ejected from the car.

Officials with Florida Highway Patrol told The Miami Herald that one of the vehicle’s tires hit the median when the car was turning left from a U.S. 1 northbound lane and began to tip over onto its right side. While on its passenger side, the car slid across the southbound lanes and stopped at the shopping center’s entrance.

Published on: May 7, 2025

House Bill Aiming to Improve Swimming Pool Safety Fails in Florida Legislature. What to Know About Swimming Safely in Florida this Summer.

By Leesfield & Partners

A House Bill meant to improve swimming pool safety – the number one killer of children under 5 years old in the state – recently died in subcommittee.

The bill provided for the enhancement of safety measures for residential swimming pools in the state, particularly during property transfer or sales. It also specified that title companies and inspectors report non-compliance to local agencies.

Current law, Florida Statutes § 515.27. requires that houses built or remodeled after Oct. 1, 2000, be equipped with one of five safety features. These features range from barriers surrounding the pool, an in-water alarm, a self-latching lock on doors or on fences around pools, a pool safety cover or an alarm on any doors and windows that would give curious children direct access to a swimming pool. Penalties for noncompliance with state law include a fine and/or possible jail time.

Published on: May 7, 2025

What Sarasota Police Didn’t Find on Out-of-Control Boat Raises Concerns on Important Safety Issue in Florida.

By Leesfield & Partners

Police in Sarasota chased down a speeding and out of control boat this week, but there was no operator on board to be investigated.

That is because the vessel’s operator, who was not wearing the kill switch, had been ejected when the vessel hit a wake. As a result, the man was thrown into the water without a life jacket as his unoccupied vessel sped off at 40 mph. When the vessel’s operator was thrown off, he broke two fingers but was otherwise uninjured, according to reporting from Fox News.

Fortunately, officers with the Sarasota Police Department’s Marine Patrol were able to catch up with the vessel, hop on and shut it off before anyone else was injured.

Published on: April 24, 2025

Arizona Couple Makes National Headlines Following Husbands Jet Ski Death. How Personal Watercrafts are Responsible for Hundreds of Injuries, Deaths Annually.

By Leesfield & Partners

Just like motorcycles on land, jet skis are the coolest ride on the water; however, with that level of thrill comes serious responsibility.

From improper training from rental companies to inexperienced riders, jet skis and other watercrafts are responsible for over 1,000 deaths in the United States from 2020 to 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Report, which was released on May 16, 2024. A little over 17% of these deaths occurred in July.

A couple in Arizona made national headlines this week after a wife tragically discovered her husband floating in a lake after he fell from a rented jet ski on Sunday at Lake Pleasant. The couple had rented the jet ski at Scorpion Bay, according to reporting from The Miami Herald, and experienced a “mechanical issue.” When they attempted to make a U-turn, they fell into the water.

Published on: April 23, 2025

Case Filed on Behalf of Woman Who Incurred Spinal Injury at Key West Resort.

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners has filed a case on behalf of a woman who attempted to lie down on an improperly installed and inadequately maintained hammock at a Key West resort. The hammock flipped her and sent her head-first to the ground, resulting in a severe spinal cord injury.

Not only was the hammock improperly installed and negligently maintained—a defect that has left the resort’s guests vulnerable to injuries of this sort—but the resort failed to remedy the defect or warn people about the risks associated with the use of the hammock.

As a result of this horrific and preventable incident, our client was severely injured and required invasive surgery. A year later she continues to suffer daily pain due to this incident.

Published on: April 22, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Representing Client in Key West Motor Scooter Accident Case. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners is representing a Key West motor scooter rider whose life was upended after a negligent driver struck him, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury

Our 46-year-old client was approaching a Key West intersection on his motor scooter when a driver, who had a stop sign, failed to yield the right of way to our client, causing a collision between the vehicle and the scooter. Our client was ejected from his scooter and hit the driver’s windshield, significantly cracking it before falling unconscious to the ground. He was transported to the hospital with a crushed left tibia and fibula and severe head trauma.

When speaking with the authorities at the scene, the driver claimed to not have seen our client.

Published on: March 18, 2025

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Florida Keys Man Accused of Sexually Abusing a Minor. How Leesfield & Partners has Protected Children for Decades.

By Leesfield & Partners

The Monroe County State Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty for a Florida Keys man police accused of filming himself raping a child multiple times, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Micheal John Demerjian, 36, of Big Pine Key, in the Lower Keys, was in custody on unrelated charges on Jan. 17 when his phone was found by someone who purchased his car. On the phone, over 70 images and videos of the child, who is under 12 years old, were found. The images were reported to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The Key West Injury Lawyer Blog will not be publishing the age of the child or Demerjian’s connection to the minor to protect their identity.

Published on: March 13, 2025

Boat Captain Found Guilty of Passenger’s Propeller Death in 2020

By Leesfield & Partners

A Marion County diving boat captain was found guilty this week of seaman’s manslaughter in the death of a diver who tragically drowned during a propeller malfunction in March 2020.

A federal jury found Dustin Sean McCabe, 49, of Ocala, Florida, guilty this week on the seaman’s manslaughter charges as well as for lying to the Coast Guard and committing Covid-19 relief fraud, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Seaman’s manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Florida. Mcabe could face up to 10 years in prison for the seaman’s manslaughter charges, up to five years for lying to the coast guard and up to 20 years for the wire fraud.

McCabe is set to be sentenced June 12 before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon.

Published on: March 6, 2025

E-Bike Battery May Have Caused Key West Fire, officials say. How Leesfield & Partners Has Warned About This Danger for a Decade.

By Leesfield & Partners

A transportation device that Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has been warning communities about may have been responsible for a Key West fire, according to the city’s Fire Marshal.

Key West Fire Marshal Jason Barroso reminded the community in the Keys Weekly, a weekly newspaper, to be wary of lithium-ion batteries. His reminder comes after an initial assessment showed a local fire may have been caused by an e-bike battery.

The fire happened on Patricia Street on Feb. 25 and had fully engulfed a garage, causing significant damage. Thankfully, no injuries were reported but Barroso wanted to remind the community to follow manufacturer’s safety instructions for charging and storing of e-bikes.

Published on: March 6, 2025

Three Hospitalized Following Crash Monday on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys

By Leesfield & Partners

Three people were airlifted to the hospital following a head-on crash on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys Monday afternoon, according to reporting from local media.

The crash happened around 2 p.m. between a GMC Denali pickup truck and a BMW SUV. Photos from the Miami Herald show the mangled aftermath of the collision and first responders scrambling around the BMW, the front of both vehicles appeared to be crushed in photos.

The pickup was heading south and turned into the northbound lane and struck the BMW, officials with the Florida Highway Patrol told reporters. Officials said they did not know why the truck turned into the northbound lane.