Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
World Atlas named Key West among the 10 most charming small towns to visit in Florida, here’s why.
The southernmost island in the Florida Keys owes its popularity to crystal-clear waters, historic charm, and quirky locals. With must-see locations like its famed lighthouse and the six-toed cat oasis of the Ernest Hemingway Home, it’s easy to see why thousands of out-of-state visitors choose to vacation in Key West. And that’s not the only place for history buffs. Other historic sites to see include Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and the Truman Little White House.
Whether looking for educational places to visit, trying to work on a tan, or hoping to snorkel among vibrant marine life, Key West has a little something for everyone.
The attorneys at Leesfield & Partners, which has represented countless Monroe County residents and tourists over the years agree — Key West is as lovely and charming as it seems.
Leesfield & Partners: 48 Years in the Florida Keys
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with nearly five decades of experience representing injured clients and their grieving families throughout Florida. The firm’s history within Monroe County started in 1973, about three years before it was established. At the time, Ira Leesfield — Founder and Managing Partner of the firm — was in court handling his first personal injury case, which he won on behalf of the family of a 14-year-old boy. Since then, the firm has handled numerous historic cases, including those that have affected statewide legislation.
In the 1980s, the firm acquired its Key West office, an old cigar factory on historic Whitehead Street. Later on, the building was honored by the Florida Bar with a “Historic Building Renovation Award” for design. (The firm’s headquarters in Miami was also highlighted by the Florida Bar with the “Award of Honor” for design.) Mr. Leesfield intends to continue this trend of “award-winning Leesfield & Partners buildings” with the upcoming construction of the Leesfield Law Center & Campus. This center will act as an educational hub for law students and fledgling attorneys as well as the site of multiple mediation and arbitration suites. The law center will have a courtroom and a café with rooftop access.
To learn more about the Leesfield Law Center & Campus, call 305-854-4900 or email info@leesfield.com.
Over the years, the firm has handled several historic and record verdicts and settlements for clients. Our skilled attorneys actively pursue the best possible outcome for every client, handling each case with the tenacity, compassion and knowledge necessary.
Previous Cases
Previously, Leesfield & Partners handled a negligent security case in which our client was brutally attacked by a hammer-wielding individual at a Key West resort. This man was allowed to enter the property without being questioned by security. He roamed around an unlocked parking garage for 20 minutes before encountering our client and launching the violent attack, leaving her with severe and permanent injuries to her face and head.
The hotel entered into a confidential settlement with our client the night before an over $40.5 million verdict was handed down against the remaining defendant. This case marks the largest verdict in Monroe County history.
Leesfield & Partners represented a bicyclist who was stopped off the shoulder of the Overseas Highway when she was hit by a negligent and distracted driver. The driver in this case was fiddling with their GPS when they lost control of their vehicle, causing life-threatening injuries.
The firm settled the case for $5.35 million.
A settlement was reached in a fatal Florida Keys crash on the Seven Mile Bridge. In that case, an officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission failed to adhere to weight limits for the trailer she was using to tow a 31-foot-long fishing boat. As she drove, the trailer began fishtailing from side-to-side, causing her to lose control and go straight into oncoming traffic. The officer barreled directly into our client’s path, causing a horrific, head-on collision and explosion. At least two people died in this crash.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys worked tirelessly on this case and obtained an unlikely result against a governmental agency — a settlement above the available insurance coverage and statutory cap for damages.
For a Key West handyman, Leesfield & Partners secured a multi-million-dollar settlement after a terrible fall on the job. In that case, our client fell from 15 feet, landing on his neck. Following the incident, our 52-year-old client lost all sensation below his chest and could not move his legs, walk or work again.
The property owner was responsible for providing our client with everything necessary to do the job safely and failed to do so. On the day of the fall, our client was on a ladder and had no one to help secure it and was not provided a ladder stabilizer by the homeowner. Tragically, the ladder slipped, and our client’s life changed forever.
The firm previously represented the family of a Key West nursing home patient and secured a $1 million recovery for the client.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Leesfield & Partners trial attorney, settled a case for a grieving family who lost a young husband and father-to-be when a negligent officer from an agency with jurisdiction over environmental and boating laws failed to adhere to divers-down flag laws. Our client’s loved one was lobster diving at the time of the tragic incident.
Ongoing Monroe County Cases
Partner Justin B. Shapiro and Evan Robinson, a Trial Attorney at the firm, are handling the case of a woman who was severely injured after a fall on an improperly installed and inadequately maintained hammock. In this case, the woman attempted to lie down on the hammock, located at a Key West resort. As she did so, the hammock flipped and sent her head-first to the ground. She suffered a severe spinal cord injury as a result.
Mr. Shapiro and Trial Attorney Eric Shane are representing a Key West motor scooterist whose life was forever changed when a negligent driver hit him, causing a traumatic brain injury.
“Sadly, our client’s life has been destroyed by this crash, and he remains in in-patient rehabilitation,” Mr. Shane said. “We are aggressively pursuing all avenues of recovery under the law.”
Mr. Shane is also representing a woman who broke her hip after she was attacked by a neighbor’s pet bird at her Marathon, Florida, condominium. This is not the first time the bird has attacked someone on the property. The 83-year-old in this case was folding discarded towels by her community pool when the incident occurred. Her life has been turned upside down as a result of her excruciating injury.
Carlos A. Fabano, a Trial Attorney at the firm, is representing numerous victims of medical malpractice either at the hands of doctors in Florida or those on cruise ships.
For more information about Leesfield & Partners’ cruise ship litigation, please go to: https://www.leesfield.com/cruise-passengers-injuries.html
