Key West Injury Lawyer Blog

Published on: January 8, 2026

Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths Doubled in Florida Keys in 2025, data shows. What to Know.

While 2025 showed overall Monroe County crashes were down from 2024, roadway deaths almost doubled, according to data from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Crash Dashboard.

Monroe County crashes were down from 1,732 in 2024 to 1,600 in 2025, the data, published regularly online, showed. Despite this slight decline in overall accidents, deaths in the area from motor vehicle crashes doubled from six fatalities in 2024 to 12 in 2025.

In 2023, at least 18 people died as the result of tragic crashes in the area. There were approximately 1,400 crashes recorded for that year.

Published on: December 24, 2025

Child Bicyclist Killed in Florida Keys Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A mother and daughter riding their bikes in the Florida Keys were involved in a tragic crash with a pickup truck, resulting in the 7-year-old’s death Tuesday, Dec. 23, according to local media.

The driver involved in the incident, who has not been named by police as of Wednesday, Dec. 24, will face criminal charges, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The crash happened around 2:50 p.m. at the Valero Gas Station, located at 7301 Overseas Highway in Marathon. The driver was in a Ford F-250 and was allegedly coming out of the gas station to make a right turn when the child and her mother were crossing the entrance.

Published on: December 9, 2025

Coast Guard ends Search for Missing Diver in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The search for a diver reported missing over the weekend was suspended Sunday, pending further information, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Ellen Ruth Domb, 79, of North Palm Beach, was reported missing following a dive Friday morning at the USNS Hoyt S. Vanderberg wreck off of Key West. In an online statement from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, officials said that Domb was separated from her dive buddy within minutes of entering the water. There were strong currents that day, according to the statement.

The 150-to-200-foot dive is a popular one, attracting thousands of divers annually. It is the second largest shipwreck in the world. The former missile tracking ship was intentionally sunk nearly seven miles south of Key West in 2009 to be used as an artificial reef, according to the Miami Herald.

Published on: December 9, 2025

Three Dead After Vessel Capsizes Over the Weekend in Cape Coral. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least three people died over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend after a boat capsized on the Caloosahatchee River, according to reporting from News-Press.

At least one other person involved in the accident remained in “critical but stable condition” as of Monday morning.

The incident happened around 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, near the Cape Coral Yacht Club and involved an MTI 390 powerboat that flipped while carrying at least four people onboard. All four were sent into the water.

Published on: November 26, 2025

Man Dies Following Dive at Florida Keys Shipwreck. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 50-year-old man has died after losing consciousness following a scuba dive at a Key West shipwreck over the weekend, according to local media.

Nicholas James Strazzulla, a certified diving instructor of Inverness, Florida, lost consciousness following the 150-to-200-foot dive to the USNS Hoyt S. Vanderberg. The former missile tracking ship was intentionally sunk nearly seven miles south of Key West in 2009 to be used as an artificial reef, according to the Miami Herald.

He was brought back to the dive boat and others in the group he was with performed CPR on him, officials told local media. He died at the Lower Keys Medical Center.

Published on: November 24, 2025

Two Injured in Florida Keys Boat Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two people were injured over the weekend when the boat they were on hit a channel marker in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from ABC Channel 7 News.

The incident happened Sunday, Nov. 16, when the boat hit the 74A channel marker in Cowpens Cut, west of Plantation Key, the U.S. Coast Guard said in an online statement. The marker was missing from the structure immediately following this incident.

Both people aboard the vessel were rescued by a nearby Good Samaritan and were taken to the hospital.

Published on: November 24, 2025

Ever-Evolving Shifts in E-Bike Regulations Leave Floridians with Questions. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

As e-bike regulations in Florida continue to evolve, riders face a patchwork of questions concerning liability and fault, especially in the Florida Keys.

Thanks to the provisions already in effect with Senate Bill 462, which took effect in July 2025, local governments may create minimum age limits, among other regulations. This allows every city to create their own standards based on their local traffic and safety concerns, including setting a minimum age limit. But, as legislators consider House Bill 243, which aims to establish statewide regulations, the rules could shift once more.

HB 243 is still under review, however, if it passes in its current form, it could go into effect by July 1, 2027. HB 243 would prohibit certain high-powered “electric motorcycles” from being operated by people under 16 and would require a license to operate Class 3 e-bikes.

Published on: November 14, 2025

Florida Keys Shark Attack Shocks Swimmers — But Locals Know the Bigger Danger Isn’t What You May Think

By Leesfield & Partners

A man was attacked by a shark on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the northern Florida Keys and told local media he was bitten nearly a dozen times.

Yosvany Echevarria, 46, of Hialeah, said he was attacked in Biscayne Bay while snorkeling off Boca Chita Key with friends. The incident, CBS News Miami reported, happened before 11:30 a.m. when a shark “suddenly lunged” at Echevarria. While speaking with reporters, Echevarria said he was bitten between seven and eight times on his hand and arm.

Luckily, he said, the group was close to shore and was able to quickly call for help. Emergency responders took him to Jackson South Medical Center where he received 27 stitches in total to repair the damage.

Published on: November 5, 2025

Florida Keys Shark Attack Shocks Swimmers — But Locals Know the Bigger Danger Isn’t What You May Think

By Leesfield & Partners

A man was attacked by a shark on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the northern Florida Keys and told local media he was bitten nearly a dozen times.

Yosvany Echevarria, 46, of Hialeah, said he was attacked in Biscayne Bay while snorkeling off Boca Chita Key with friends. The incident, CBS News Miami reported, happened before 11:30 a.m. when a shark “suddenly lunged” at Echevarria. While speaking with reporters, Echevarria said he was bitten between seven and eight times on his hand and arm.

Luckily, he said, the group was close to shore and was able to quickly call for help. Emergency responders took him to Jackson South Medical Center where he received 27 stitches in total to repair the damage.

Published on: October 22, 2025

Children Injured, Man Charged Following Florida WaveRunner crash this week.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two children were hospitalized, one with life-threatening injuries, after a man accused of being under the influence slammed into them on a WaveRunner along Florida’s Gulf Coast this week, according to reporting from local media.

The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12, near Madeira Beach where multiple adults were allegedly racing near where a man was riding a jet ski with two young children.

One man, identified by the Pinella’s County Sheriff’s Office as 48-year-old Daniel Patrick Grubert, of Piermont, New York, has since been charged with two counts of boating under the influence, causing serious bodily injury. Grubert was also charged with one count of reckless operation of a vessel.