Boating Accident

Published on: August 9, 2024

Lobster season is a go! What to know to have a safe and successful lobster season

The regular lobster season has officially begun in Florida, marking the long-awaited return of this popular recreational fishing activity.

Below are several important safety tips and rules you should know before you head out on the water.

Legal lobsters weigh about 1 pound and have a carapace shell of at least 3 inches or bigger. In Monroe County, you may keep six lobsters per person per day. It is not permissible to use any device that could harm the exoskeleton of spiny lobsters nor are divers allowed to separate the tail from the body or to take egg-bearing spiny lobsters in Florida waters. Recreational trapping is not allowed.

Published on: August 1, 2024

Mother whose daughter died in 2017 boat crash calls for addition of rescue boats in Florida Keys following multiple incidents earlier this month

By Leesfield & Partners

When June Smith lost her 13-year-old daughter, Harlie Smith, in a boat crash off of Cudjoe Key in 2017, she said she didn’t realize how unprepared they would be in an emergency, according to reporting from WSVN Miami.

“We’ve spent many years down in the Keys and that day, when I needed help, I didn’t realize you are helpless,” she said.

Harlie, who her mother described to WSVN reporters as an outgoing, happy child who loved the ocean, was in the water on Aug. 11, 2017, when a boat propeller hit her, causing a severe laceration to her leg. The boat, a 2017 Boston Whaler, was driven by Harlie’s father who did not know his daughter was behind him when he put the boat into reverse, according to previous reporting by local news outlets.

Published on: July 31, 2024

Boy hit, tragically killed by boat propeller over the weekend

By Leesfield & Partners

A 6-year-old boy was hit and killed by a boat propeller after he went overboard into a Missouri Lake, according to reporting from The Miami Herald Monday.

The boy was reportedly knee-boarding on Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks, a man-made lake, around 11 a.m. when he fell in the water. The operator of the boat circled back for the boy and, as he attempted to swim back to the vessel, he was caught by the propeller while the boat was still in reverse. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene by a Deputy Coroner.

A woman in Central Florida who went overboard on a Pontoon boat last week was killed after being hit by the boat’s propeller. Two weeks ago, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a public notice to alert boaters to safety tips regarding divers-down flags ahead of the start of the lobster mini-season. This comes as boaters and personal watercraft users saw back-to-back incidents on the water in the Florida Keys at the beginning of the month which resulted in the injury of at least eight people including a child and the death of one other person. On July 14, a crash involving a 42-foot boat and a jet ski resulted in the death of at least one person.

Published on: July 26, 2024

FWC tells boaters to be on the lookout for divers-down flags following several incidents on the water this month

By Leesfield & Partners

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent out a public notice urging boaters to keep an eye out for divers-down flags in a month known statistically for a high rate of accidents on the water.

In their advisory, FWC encouraged boaters to avoid distraction and watch out for divers-down flags. These flags and buoys are essential warnings to approaching vessels that there are people in the water. These flags must have the divers-down symbol and be prominently displayed. When spotting a flag of this kind, boaters must operate at idle speed within 300 feet of the flag when in open water or within 100 feet when in inlets and or navigational channels. Divers must stay within the outlined distance of their flags.

Recent Incidents

Published on: July 26, 2024

Man lobster diving Wednesday morning in the Florida Keys severely injured after being hit by boat

By Leesfield & Partners

A diver was hit by a boat Wednesday morning in the Florida Keys following an advisory by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission earlier this week urging boaters to watch out for divers-down flags.

The man was struck around 8 a.m. off of Big Coppitt Key in the Lower Keys while diving for lobster, officials told reporters with The Miami Herald. He was helicoptered out with life-threatening injuries and taken to a hospital in Miami-Dade County.

Wednesday was the start of the lobster miniseason which lasts through to Thursday allowing six lobsters to be taken per diver in Monroe County. Regular lobster season begins August 6 until March 31.

Published on: July 24, 2024

FWC urges boaters to turn off boats completely if someone goes overboard following the tragic death of a woman on the water Sunday

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman died Sunday after she went overboard and was hit by a boat propeller on the Ocklawaha River, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The woman was on a Pontoon boat with at least eight other people around 1:30 p.m. when she went overboard and was hit by the propeller. She was pulled from the water but died en route to the hospital.

This comes after three back-to-back incidents on the water in Monroe County over the Fourth of July weekend and one fatal incident last week in Bay Harbor Islands involving a jet ski.

Published on: July 16, 2024

News of yet another South Florida boat crash makes headlines and is a chilling reminder of the potential dangers on the water

By Leesfield & Partners

At least one person has died following a Sunday morning crash with a 42-foot boat and a jet ski, officials say.

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to calls of a crash at around 8:30 a.m. near the Broad Causeway in Bay Harbor Islands, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The man on the jet ski was pulled from the water by witnesses on a separate boat and was taken to shore. The man later died.

Published on: July 9, 2024

A slew of injuries reported in the Florida Keys throughout the Fourth of July weekend sets a devastating reminder of the serious consequences of boating accidents

By Leesfield & Partners

About eight people were injured and one person died in three separate incidents in the Florida Keys over the holiday weekend, according to local officials.

The latest of the three incidents happened around 2 a.m. Monday when a Contender boat crashed into the South Pine Channel Bridge, a bridge connecting Middle Torch Key and Ramrod Key in the Lower Keys. At least seven people were injured in the crash including a child. The child and two others were transported via air ambulance while four others were taken to local hospitals. Monroe County Fire Rescue officials told The Miami Herald that the boat was going at a high rate of speed when it crashed.

The second incident took place Saturday around noon in Key West and involved at least one person on a jet ski who was transported to the hospital by helicopter. Additional details, including how the incident happened or whether another watercraft was involved, were not immediately available Monday.

Published on: October 9, 2023

Wrongful Death of Passenger in Boating Accident Results in Seven-figure Settlement

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners secured a seven-figure confidential settlement for the family of a young woman who was killed in a single-boat accident. The accident happened under the cover of darkness and was caused by operator error. Our investigation revealed that speed and alcohol were the contributing factors to an accident that should never have occurred. The operator traveled above the speed limit with a blood alcohol level above the 0.08% limit. Traveling at high-speed, impaired, with limited to no visibility, the operator crashed his boat into a concrete dock. The extremely violent impact caused our young and unsuspecting female passenger to be thrown overboard along with the rest of the passengers. She was airlifted to a hospital with critical injuries but ultimately did not survive.

Operator Error is Leading Cause of Boating Accidents

Last June, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued its yearly Boating Accident Statistical Report, and there was an unfortunate increase in statewide boating-related fatalities. In 2022, Florida saw a total of 735 boating accidents, marking a decrease of 16 incidents compared to 2021. However, the sobering aspect of the report was the 65 lives lost in these accidents, which represented an increase of five fatalities compared to the previous year. Notably, since 2003, falls overboard have consistently been the leading type of fatal accident, with drowning as the leading cause of death.

Published on: June 9, 2023

Over $1.2 million secured in back to back Key West settlements

By Leesfield & Partners

In the Courtroom

Partner Justin Shapiro represented a family visiting Key West from California that was involved in a jet ski incident and the firm represented the family of a Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy injured in a motor vehicle accident.

Unparalleled Experience and Success Representing Victims of Jet Ski Incidents