"Leesfield Scolaro"

Published on: February 27, 2017

2016 – In review / 2017 – Off to a good start!

-Cases Resolved in Key West and Monroe County on a rapid increase.

In our 40-year practice in Key West and Monroe County, we have seen the trend for serious and unnecessary injuries and deaths increase for a number of reasons. First, the number of visitors from the United States and abroad to Key West/Monroe County has now topped three million per year. Moreover, poorly maintained streets, bicycle and moped activities and heavy selling of water sports have contributed greatly to this trend. Key West is now much more than visiting the Ernest Hemingway House or the Truman Little White House. We now see cases where children’s hands have been attacked by sharks in the tank, serious boating and jet ski accidents. Inexperienced excursion guides with a lack of supervision are major culprits in this recent increase. All along Duval Street, local vendors are selling snorkeling trips, diving tours, parasailing tours, boating, jet ski, bicycle and moped rentals. After the purchase, the unknowing, entrapped, unsuspicious visitor is then poorly supervised or instructed. There are no directions on how to use land based or aquatic equipment. Representative results from this category of neglect includes:

∙ Family involved in a jet ski/boat collision awarded $1 million.

Published on: October 13, 2016

Spearfisherman seriously injured in Key West

By Leesfield Scolaro

Diver down flag – Courtesy of diveasia.com

Recently, Leesfield Scolaro represented the family of a young child who was fatally injured while snorkeling by the propellers of a boat off of Cow Key Channel, in Key West, Florida. Last weekend, a very similar incident took place, this time near Edward B. Knight Pier, formerly named White Street Pier. While boating accidents involving swimmers / divers are statistically down, it remains one of the top 3 concerns in Florida according to the latest boating accident statistics released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (“FWC”).

In this latest tragedy, 29 year old David Corlew was spearfishing approximately 200 yards off the pier with fellow spearfisherman. At around 8:30 a.m., a a twin-engine 32-foot commercial charter Sea Vee vessel operated by Robert Householder struck David Corlew, who was displaying a diver-down flag as required by Florida Law, which caused him to sustain traumatic leg injuries.

Published on: March 17, 2016

Leesfield Scolaro – Key West Events

By Leesfield Scolaro

On March 10, 2016, Leesfield Scolaro co-sponsored the Monroe County Bar Association luncheon honoring Appellate Judge Ed Scales. The overflow luncheon crowd warmly received Judge Scales’ analysis of recent appellate decisions. This event, which coincided with Spring Break, marks the 40th year founding partner Ira Leesfield has worked with lawyers and clients in the Florida Keys. Says Leesfield, “I was overwhelmed by the activity, congestion and crowds surrounding Spring break in the Florida Keys.” “Unfortunately, drinking, combined with driving, mopeds, bicycles and all water sport activities, is not always a safe combination,” noted Tom Scolaro who recently obtained a $41 million verdict against a local resort for negligent security.

Ira Leesfield‘s career began in Key West with a $2 million medical negligence recovery against a Florida Keys hospital, followed by a $2.1 verdict for a motor vehicle/moped collision (Kemp v. AMR). In addition to settlements for medical malpractice, negligent security, water jet ski and boating safety, moped, bicycle and street safety, Leesfield Scolaro holds record verdicts for settlements in Key West and throughout the Florida Keys. These results include the crash of a tourist stunt plane in Marathon, resulting in the death of a young mother with two children.

Following catastrophic injuries to bicycle and moped operators, the firm has aggressively pushed the “Share the Road” campaign, as well as supporting Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) and boating safety.