Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
At least two people were injured following a small plane crash at the Key West International Airport.
The incident happened early Sunday afternoon after the aircraft lost power, according to officials with Monroe County Fire Rescue. The issue occurred after takeoff when the airplane was at about 200 feet in the air.
The aircraft “landed in the mangroves on the east side of the runway about 100 feet or more from the airport,” MCFR said in a statement on its official Facebook page.
Local emergency responders were called out to the crash and helped rescue two people from the site. Both walked away with minor injuries.
Additional details, including the official model of the aircraft or what prompted it to lose power, were not immediately available. It is unclear whether an investigation is underway.
In 50 years of personal injury law, Leesfield & Partners — a Florida-based firm with strong ties in Monroe County — has represented numerous victims of preventable aviation accidents and their grieving families.
Leesfield & Partners
Over five decades, Leesfield & Partners has represented clients in some of Florida’s most complex and devastating negligence cases. From physicians whose failures in patient care resulted in preventable amputations to defective medical equipment that malfunctioned during a storm, leading to the loss of a loved one, our attorneys have encountered nearly every form of catastrophic injury and wrongful death that can arise from negligence. Our skilled trial attorneys work tirelessly to secure the best possible outcome for every client, helping to navigate families through the daunting civil justice system. It is that work that has resulted in the firm obtaining historic results throughout Florida, some of which has directly impacted state law.
This work has earned the firm national recognition and made it a trusted name among plaintiffs. In the past, the firm has handled aviation cases in which clients were injured due to mechanical failure, defective products from airplane manufacturers, pilot of other employee error, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and air traffic controller errors. Leesfield & Partners has decades of experience handling aviation cases, a practice area of personal injury law that requires specialized knowledge of aviation law and meticulous investigative skills. The firm has previously represented passengers, pilots and innocent bystanders injured or killed due to the negligence of corporations and individuals alike.
Previous Aviation Incidents
The firm previously handled an aviation case in which a 30-year-old co-pilot was killed in a crash due to an issue with the plane’s controls that went unnoticed during pre-flight checks.
The firm secured a $10 million recovery for the co-pilot’s family.
In another aviation case, the firm obtained over $8.5 million for the family.
In a devastating aviation case that resulted in the death of our client’s loved one, Leesfield & partners secured $5.4 million.
Ira Leesfield, Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, along with Mark A. Sylvester represented the family of a pilot after he and his mother were killed in a single-engine airplane crash. The lawsuit was filed against the plane manufacturer, a service facility and the FAA. In this case, FAA air traffic controllers failed to provide important weather information to the pilot, resulting in the crash amid a severe weather event.
The firm obtained a $2,850,000 settlement in that case.
In a crash involving a helicopter, Leesfield & Partners secured a $1.9 million recovery amount.
The firm also obtained over $1.8 million for a grieving family following a fatal crash.
In an aviation case involving a plane manufacturer, Leesfield & partners secured $630,000 for an injured client.
A Leesfield & Partners case that did not involve a crash but took place on an airplane resulted in life-long scarring to a child who was traveling as an unaccompanied minor. The airline’s employees were meant to be watching over the child but did not. This paved the way for a sick, adult passenger to sexually abuse the child during the flight unbeknownst to flight attendants.
A confidential settlement was obtained by the firm in that case.
Additional Cases
While flying — whether as a career or a recreational pursuit — can be thrilling, it also carries immense responsibility. But piloting an aircraft isn’t the only time lives are at risk in the air.
At Leesfield & Partners, we’ve represented clients who were seriously injured not just in small plane crashes, but also in parasailing accidents, where negligence by tour operators or failure to follow safety protocols led to devastating consequences.
Leesfield & Partners previously represented a family who tragically lost a loved one in a horrific parasailing accident due to the negligence and recklessness of a parasailing operator. The firm obtained a $17 million recovery amount in that case.
In a similar, fatal case that also involved the negligence or a parasailing operator in Florida, Leesfield & Partners secured $15 million for the grieving family.
In a cruise ship excursion case, our client was severely injured and lost her mother as the result of the negligence of a cruise line and an excursion they were selling to passengers. In that case, our client and her mother booked a parasailing adventure while aboard the vessel. When the two were in the air, however, an equipment malfunction sent them both hurdling toward the water below.
The mother was killed, and the daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury. The case settled for $7.25 million.
A recovery amount of over $4.6 million was obtained for another client backed by Leesfield & Partners in a violent parasailing incident that caused brain damage.
In another tragic parasailing incident, Leesfield & Partners secured over $2.8 million on behalf of the family of a client who lost their life and another who sustained serious brain injuries.
In a separate, fatal case against a parasailing corporation, Leesfield & Partners attorneys recovered $2.6 million for a grieving family.
The firm recovered over $1.5 million for one woman who was injured in a parasailing incident at a resort. As a result of the horrific ordeal, she suffered brain damage.
Leesfield & Partners represented the family of another parasailing victim who tragically lost their life while at a resort due to the negligence of the parasailing operators. A recovery amount of more than $1.2 million was obtained for the family in that case.
