Two boaters and their dog were left clinging to the hull of their sinking boat in the St. Augustine Inlet after rough waters caused the vessel to flip, according to authorities.
“They had life jackets onboard, but the boat flipped so fast they couldn’t get to them in time,” officials from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office told reporter with the Miami Herald about the daring, Feb. 15 rescue. “The female onboard was able to call 911. It [took] about 10 to 15 minutes for us to locate them.”
The couple was spotted around 3 p.m. and videos of their harrowing ordeal show the boat almost completely submerged at some points.
No injuries were reported in this incident.
A similar incident involving a couple and their dog happened last month in Tampa Bay when a cruise ship caused a wake that caused their boat to rink and crash. The couple in that instance swam to a buoy to wait for help and were rescued shortly after.
Leesfield & Partners
There are over a million registered boaters in Florida and childhood stories of anyone who grew up in the Sunshine State will likely involve the water. Whether it is fishing off a pier, heading to the beach, jet skiing or boating, the water is a way of life for Floridians. With that, however, comes tremendous responsibility. Leesfield & Partners, a personal injury law firm with three Florida offices, including Miami and Key West, knows just how high these stakes can be.
As the state with the most registered boaters in the nation, it is no surprise that Florida is also the state with the most boat crashes. In 2023 numbers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the year with the latest available information, data shows that Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties were the areas with the most crashes. In total, there were 659 reportable incidents that killed 59 people in the state. While any death on the water is a tragedy, 2023’s data shows a slight decline in annual fatalities. In 2022, FWC recorded a 65 deaths statewide as the result of boating accidents and in 2021 there were 60.
With this decline, it is important to note that the majority of boaters involved in fatal accidents in 2023 had no formal boater education. In 2022, 70% of boat operators involved in fatal crashes had no formal boater education. While it is impossible to determine if formal education could have prevented all of the deaths in these incidents, it is likely that having the knowledge of what to do in an emergency – and what not to do on the water – could have helped in many of these incidents. Leesfield & Partners regularly posts boater safety advisories on its famous digital sign in front of the firm’s Miami office on U.S. 1, a major road that sees thousands of commuters daily.
Beyond these educational efforts, the law firm’s attorneys have previously participated in speaking engagements and have penned articles highlighting the importance of safety on the water. This issue could not be more relevant in the state. Recently, the parents of a Miami high schooler who died in a tragic 2022 boating accident that caught nationwide attention spoke out in support of a law that would expand education requirements. When news came out about the proposed bill, titled “Lucy’s Law,” Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, was in full support of the initiative.
“The dangers from boating incidents are entirely underestimated as South Florida becomes more congested, drinking on the water becomes more prevalent and distractions from cell phones and other devices increases,” he said in a previous Leesfield & Partners blog post. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
Previous Cases
The firm has handled numerous devastating cases of deaths and life-changing injuries that have stemmed from boat and jet ski crashes as well as other incidents on the water. With 48 years of experience litigating this practice area of personal injury law, the firm and its attorneys approach each case with tenacity, respect and the goal of securing the best possible outcome for each client.
In the case of a family who lost their 20-year-old daughter after she and other passengers of a speedboat were launched into the water following a crash with a concrete dock, Leesfield & Partners obtained a confidential settlement above $1 million. The firm’s attorneys were dogged in their approach, and their rigorous investigation ultimately revealed that the boat’s driver was not only speeding at night, when visibility is limited, but was also under the influence of alcohol.
The firm also represented a minor in a boating injury case that resulted in the loss of the child’s leg. Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained a substantial settlement for the negligent supervision of boating activities.
Another boat crash case involving a minor handled by the firm resulted in the horrific death of another child who was in the water when he was hit by a teen boater. This boater did not stop and attempted to cover up evidence and lied to police when questioned. Neighbors later testified at trial that the teen regularly operated the vessel recklessly and without supervision.
Leesfield & Partners obtained a $1.7 million settlement for the family.
Attorneys with the firm also represented the family of a snorkeling excursion passenger who died after the charter boat collided with a channel marker. The firm obtained $1,850,000 for the family.
Leesfield & Partners represented the surviving family of a lobster diver and soon-to-be father who was killed by a law enforcement officer who failed to adhere to divers-down flag laws. Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, secured the maximum, capped settlement amount in that case.
If you or a loved one was injured in an incident on Florida waters, don’t wait. Contact a Leesfield & Partners attorney at 305-854-4900 or at 800-836-6400 for a free consultation.