Firefighters with the Key West Fire Department took part in recent training to learn how to dismantle cars in an emergency.
The week-long training was a part of a larger Urban Search and Rescue operation, and all the cars used in the exercise were already marked for destruction, according to reporting from the Key West Citizen.
This specialized training is essential in a state that sees approximately 400,000 annual car accidents on average. Monroe County had nearly 2,000 crashes in 2024, according to data collected by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Crash Dashboard. Of these crashes, six people were killed and 1,252 others were injured. In 2023, there were 1,401 crashes with 18 fatalities and 925 injuries.
As of mid-April 2025, there have been 541 crashes in the county with six deaths and 333 injuries. Among those injured in these crashes were at least 15 motorcyclists, 10 pedestrians and 27 individuals involved in hit-and-run crashes. At least three pedestrians and one bicyclist were killed. Since the start of the year, March was the month with the highest overall crashes at 174. In April, there have been at least 58 crashes.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with a long history of representing injured clients and grieving families throughout the Florida Keys. In 1973, just three years before Leesfield & Partners opened its doors, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, tried his very first case in Key West and won. In the 1980s, Leesfield & partners opened up its Key West office on historic Whitehead Street in what used to be the home of an old cigar factory. Since then, Leesfield & Partners has maintained a healthy and active practice in the area, contributing regularly to local charitable endeavors and supporting community members via academic scholarships.
Over the years, the firm has expanded to include a wide array of practice areas including boating and jet ski crashes, car accidents, medical malpractice and cruise ship negligence. With offices in Key West, Miami and Orlando, the firm has obtained record verdicts and settlements for clients throughout the state. Our attorneys are dedicated to recovering the best possible outcome for each client in every case.
Previous Car Accident Injury Cases
With over 48 years of personal injury experience, Leesfield & Partners has represented numerous motor vehicle accident victims in Monroe County from locals to unsuspecting tourists. In that time,
Previously, the firm represented a bicyclist who was injured when she was hit by a car while stopped off the shoulder of the Overseas Highway. The driver in that case hit our client after losing control of the vehicle while fiddling with the GPS.
Leesfield & Partners obtained $5.35 million for the bicyclist’s multiple, life-threatening injuries.
A $2.1 million verdict was awarded to our client, a scooter rider and well-known community member, following a crash with an ambulance. In that case, our client, a popular restauranteur, was given the green light at an intersection when a speeding ambulance proceeded into the roadway. This ambulance did not display flashing lights or a siren, which would have indicated that it was not going to stop at the red light. With these indicators, our client had the right of way and believed it was safe to proceed.
As a result, our client was permanently injured and disfigured, suffering back fractures, vertebrae injuries and broken bones to an entire side of his face. This case was handled by Mr. Leesfield and other attorneys at the firm.
In a case against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Leesfield & Partners achieved a rare result – a settlement amount above the statutory cap for damages involving a government agency. In this case, an FWC employee was driving a truck near Marathon Florida, on the Seven Mile Bridge towing a 31-foot fishing boat. The officer involved in this crash was driving the speed limit when she noticed the trailer began fishtailing from side-to-side before she lost all control, causing the truck to jackknife directly into oncoming traffic. Asa result, our client was hit head-on, and a massive explosion ensued. At least two people were killed in this incident and catastrophic injuries were suffered by the survivors.
In a later investigation, it was revealed that the vessel exceeded the trailer’s maximum allowable towing capacity by thousands of pounds.
In another Monroe County case, this time involving a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, the firm secured the entirety of insurance policy limits. In that case, the deputy was driving a car with his son, a minor, when another car failed to yield the right-of-way when pulling onto the Overseas Highway. The other driver, who was speeding, pulled out directly in front of the deputy, causing the inevitable crash.