Key West Injury Lawyer Blog

Published on: October 15, 2024

Nephew of Famous Surfer Injured in Drowning Incident in Hawaii. What to Know.

The nephew of famed surfer, Bethany Hamilton, was injured over the weekend in a Hawaii drowning incident. Now, the family is taking to social media to ask for help.

The incident took place on Oct. 11. The child was medevacked to a different hospital and “has fight in him,” his aunt wrote on social media.

“We are wrecked,” Hamilton said in the post shared to her Instagram account with over 2.4 million followers. “But I know how proper medical support can make or break someone’s chance of survival and in this case we’re asking for help from anyone who has information [on] what we can do to give my nephew the best chance.”

Published on: October 11, 2024

Silent Killer: Carbon Monoxide. What to Know After Hurricane Milton

By Leesfield & Partners

As Floridians pick up the pieces left behind by the devastation of Hurricane Milton, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission experts warn about the dangers of carbon monoxide exposure.

On average, there are approximately 200 Americans who die each year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, and 400 die in total from exposure in the United States, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. At least 92 of these deaths were linked back to portable generators.

With about 2.4 million Floridians still without power as of Friday morning, it is likely many will turn to generators to charge electronic devices to be able to contact family and friends, cook, and, in some cases, keep the electricity running for medical equipment. Knowing this, experts have sent out advisories reminding Floridians how to best and safely use their generators as they take stock of the damage from the storm.

Published on: October 10, 2024

Boater Charged in Fatal Key West Crash, Months Later

By Leesfield & Partners

Nearly three months have passed since a spearfisherman was killed by a passing boater over the July Fourth Weekend. Recently, authorities have charged that boater in the man’s death.

Palmer Reid Long Jr., 72, of Placida, Florida, was charged on Sept. 23, with vessel homicide after police say he didn’t slow down despite there being visible divers-down flags in the area. Vessel homicide is a second-degree felony and a conviction could mean up to 15 years in prison.

The incident happened on July 5, killing spearfisherman, Israel “Kiko” Boza, 56, of Hialeah, according to reporting from local news outlets. That same weekend, three separate incidents on the water in the Florida Keys injured about eight people, including a 12-year-old.

Published on: September 23, 2024

Florida Divers Break Record in Annual Competition. What to Know About Safe Diving

By Leesfield & Partners

Divers broke records this year in an annual competition to remove invasive lionfish from Florida waters, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission press release.

The 2024 Lionfish Season concluded with a record-breaking 31,773 species being pulled from the water. Just under 300 divers went on over 700 trips throughout the state to retrieve the animals that are dangerous to native fish and coral reefs.

One lionfish can reduce a native reef fish population by over 70%. They also present a risk to humans with their venomous spines which can cause painful stings. In 2022, over 25,000 lionfish were removed from Florida waters in FWC’s annual, summer-long challenge, which began in 2016.

Published on: September 18, 2024

Family Grieves the Snorkeling Death of a Couple on Maui Vacation. What to Know to Stay Safe on the Water.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman pregnant with her second child and her husband have died following a snorkeling incident while on vacation in Maui.

The tragedy took place on Saturday, Sept. 14 just after noon on the north side of Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, according to reporting from national news outlets.

The couple was out snorkeling while their oldest son, an 18-month-old, stayed with his aunt and uncle. The woman, 26-year-old Sophia Tsaruk, was allegedly found by a rescue team member on a jet ski who brought her to shore to begin CPR. Her husband, Ilya Tsaruk, 25, was found by firefighters with the Maui County Fire Department approximately 100-150 yards away from the shore.

Published on: September 18, 2024

Helicopter Stops Speeding Boat from Hitting Swimmers, Preventing a ‘Mass Casualty Disaster,’ Officials Say

By Leesfield & Partners

A speeding boat gunning for hundreds of swimmers and kayakers participating in a local event in Islamorada Saturday was stopped by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helicopter.

“From our angle, he was the only thing stopping that boat from going across all of those people,” Capt. Matt Bellinger, a local fishing guide who was on the water that day, told reporters with Florida Keys News.

The driver of the boat, identified as 55-year-old Thomas Michael Reichert, of Naples, Florida, was charged with boating under the influence, possessing spiny lobster tails and operating a boat in a safety zone, local news outlets reported Wednesday. Reichert is alleged to have 12 wrung tails on board, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Published on: September 18, 2024

Boat of Missing Man, 70, Found off Florida Gulf Coast

By Leesfield & Partners

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday that it was suspending its 8,462-square-mile search for a missing 70-year-old man following news of his boat being found abandoned, according to reporting from local news outlets.

Bert Erwin was on a 150-mile trip up Florida’s coast from Marco Island to Indian Rocks Beach and was reported missing Wednesday by a good Samaritan, according to a Coast Guard press release. The person who reported him missing told Coast Guard officials that Erwin was overdue to reach his destination, Indian Rocks Beach.

He was last seen Monday leaving Rose Marina on Marco Island.

Published on: August 30, 2024

Southwest Florida County Reports Spike in Legionnaires’ Disease with three happening within the same community, neighbors say.

By Leesfield & Partners

About eight cases of Legionnaires’ Disease have been reported recently in Lee County, tallying 48 cases so far this year within the Southwest Florida community.

About three of the eight occurred within the same neighborhood after three women were reported to have pulled weeds in their garden, according to reporting from local news outlets. Two of the women have since died.

Information about how the women were infected was not immediately available.

Published on: August 28, 2024

Teen killed after being struck by boat propeller. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

An 18-year-old died when she was hit by a propeller trying to board a New Jersey boat over the weekend officials say.

The teen was on a raft being pulled by the boat and, when she tried to get on the boat, was hit by the propeller. Additional details were not immediately available Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing.

Officials urged boaters and swimmers alike to be advised of boating safety and propeller safety protocols stating that even when in neutral or at rest, propellers can still present a danger.

Published on: August 22, 2024

Parents of boy killed in St. Petersburg boat crash sue family of minor operating the vessel. What to Know about Florida’s Boater Age Requirements.

By Leesfield & Partners

Two families have filed lawsuits in a March St. Petersburg boat crash that resulted in a wrongful death case of a 15-year-old boy, according to reporting from local news outlets.

The crash happened near Bayshore Blvd in Shore Acres in St. Petersburg after a family get-together in which at least two boys went for an afternoon boat ride. Both boys were thrown into the water after the 18-foot vessel slammed into a concrete dock. They were taken to the hospital where one of them later died from his injuries. The other, the one who was driving the boat that day, had non-life-threatening injuries.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed last week, claims that the parents of the boy who was driving the boat the day of the crash purchased the vessel for him and allowed him to routinely use it without supervision and without ensuring that the teens were not taking alcohol on board. It goes on to allege that the boy told good Samaritans who pulled him out of the water that, at the time of the crash, he was looking down at his phone to change the music.