At least 16 people were taken to the hospital after two airboats in the Everglades carrying more than 30 people crashed Friday afternoon.
The crash happened around 3:15 p.m. near Ochopee in Collier County, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. One airboat had 20 people on board while the other carried 13 people.
Additional information, including what caused the boats to crash, was not readily available on Monday.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident.
Boat Crashes in Florida
With its sparkling blue waters and abundance of natural springs and subtropical wetlands, its no mystery why Florida has historically been dubbed the boating capital of the United States. There are more than a million registered vessels in Florida. However, with the potential for recreational water activities aboard these vessels, comes the risk of potential injury.
In a report detailing boating incidents and statistics investigated by FWC in 2023, it was concluded that there were 659 reportable boating accidents. Of these crashes, the leading cause was a crash with a fixed object. The majority of overall crashes took place within the state in July. Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties were the areas with the highest number of accidents and injuries. Monroe County totaled 87 crashes that took the lives of three people and injured 62 others.
In statewide boat crash fatality data, the FWC reported 59 people had died in 2023. About 29% of these fatal incidents involved a crash with a fixed object. The second leading cause of these incidents was from passengers falling overboard, this accounted for 25% of the fatalities in 2023.
Alcohol or drug use is estimated to have played a role in approximately 23% of boating fatalities that took place in 2023, according to the FWC report. Many of these fatal incidents took place in June and September.
Leesfield & Partners’ Previous Cases
As a personal injury law firm, Leesfield & Partners has represented hundreds of victims of boat crashes and other maritime accidents over nearly 50 years.
The law firm previously handled a boating accident that caused our minor client to lose a leg. Leesfield & partners attorneys obtained a considerable settlement amount for the negligent supervision of boating activities.
Another case, involving the tragic death of our client’s young daughter, resulted in a settlement of more than $1 million. In this case, attorneys were able to prove that the boat operator involved in the crash had been drinking while he sped at night, resulting in the vessel crashing into a concrete dock.
More recently, Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, secured the maximum, capped settlement for the death of a lobster diver killed by an officer who did not adhere to divers-down flag laws.
Justin Sosa, the 24-year-old son of our client, was needlessly killed in a boating accident with a fixed mile marker in the Intracoastal Waterway in September 2023. That crash was caused by a negligent boater who not only sped back to shore at 45 mph in a 30-mph zone, but did so while navigating through rain and darkness. Making matters worse, this boater’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit
That case is being handled Justin B. Shapiro, a Leesfield & Partners Trial Lawyer and Partner.
Another case handled by the firm involves a cargo vessel that had an onboard explosion that killed a client’s loved one
A substantial award was secured for the family in that case.
Jet Ski Crashes Handled by Leesfield & Partners
Jet Ski crashes account for more fatalities and injuries than any other recreational water sport activity seen by this firm, according to Mr. Shapiro in an article published earlier this year in the Daily Business Review. This is because, although these machines are marketed as easy to maneuver, they demand significant upper arm strength and depend on unpredictable ocean and weather conditions for optimal performance. It is the responsibility of rental companies, such as those seen sprinkled across the coastline of vacation destinations such as Monroe County, to alert customers of these risks and the potential dangers. It is also their duty to provide safety briefings and ensure that not only are their patrons able to safely operate the machines but that they all understand these briefings.
In a previous Leesfield & Partners case, a rental company failed to ensure that a French-speaking tourist understood their safety briefing. The result was devastating when the man crashed into the wife of our client, causing serious injuries that ended in her death.
Leesfield & Partners once represented a family visiting the Florida Keys from California. As one of their planned excursions on their trip, the family had booked a guided jet ski tour with a rental company. Instead of ensuring that the family was OK operating the machinery and talking them through challenging ocean conditions present that day, the two guides repeatedly sped away from the family during their tour.
When taking the group through a narrow bridge opening known for its strong tidal currents, the guides failed to warn the family or help them in any way. The result was a tragic and violent crash when the father of the group collided with concrete bridge pilings.
In the last several years, Leesfield & Partners has secured over $10 million for clients injured in preventable jet ski accidents.
If you or a loved one was injured in a crash on Florida waters, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 305-854-4900 to see if you may be eligible for compensation.