Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
A circuit court judge ordered George Pino, the 54-year-old Doral real estate broker facing vessel homicide charges related to the 2022 boat crash that killed an Our Lady of Lourdes Academy student, to no longer contact the teen’s parents during trial.
Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez granted the order Wednesday, barring Pino from contacting the family of 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez via a third-party, social media, electronically or in person for the remainder of the trial. The text message was reportedly sent last week from Pino to the girl’s parents that “appealed to both families’ Catholic faith,” according to reporting from the Miami Herald.
While Tinkler Mendez said in court she did not believe the message was sent with “intentional malfeasance,” prosecutors said it could be interpreted as intimidation or witness tampering.
This is the latest of several messages Pino has allegedly sent to the parents following the death of their daughter. In it, he is reported to have asked for strength and guidance from God to reach out to them, according to the newspaper.
“I think about and pray for you, your family, and Lucy every single day. I continually ask God to bless your family. Also, I pray and ask Jesus to grace and fill us with His love, healing, peace and compassion.”
The trial is scheduled for July.
The Boat Crash
The boat crash happened on Labor Day in 2022 when Pino and his wife took over a dozen high schoolers out for a day on the water to celebrate the birthday of the couple’s then-18-year-old daughter. As the group was returning from Elliot Key, the vessel crashed into a channel marker, sending the passengers into the water. Lucy was killed as a result and many others were badly injured, including now 19-year-old Katerina Puig who was left permanently disabled.
Initially, Pino was charged with three counts of careless boating in August 2023. That is a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum sentence of 60 days in county jail, according to the Herald. These charges were later changed to vessel homicide after an investigation from the Herald, which revealed that key witnesses were not interviewed by authorities.
Following news of those witnesses, a Miami-Dade firefighter who pulled Pino from the water following the crash told prosecutors that the man showed signs of impairment that night.
Vessel homicide is a first-degree felony and, if convicted, could carry up to 30 years in prison or and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
In 2024, Pino’s wife, Cecilia, was ordered to pay $16 million to the Puig family as part of a lawsuit settlement. The lawsuit alleged that the Pino’s purchased alcohol for the high schoolers and allowed them to drink while onboard the vessel. In the lawsuit, attorneys alleged Pino had been speeding and that he “refused a blood draw and/or breathalyzer testing after the accident…in order to conceal the fact that he had consumed alcohol to the extent that his normal faculties were impaired.”
Pino allegedly admitted to drinking that day and one girl aboard the vessel had a blood alcohol level that was twice the legal limit, which is 0.08%, the Herald reported. The girl was reportedly among those severely injured in the crash. Investigators allegedly found over 60 cans and bottles on the day of the boat crash.
Ira Leesfield: ‘Safety Standards Must be Enforced’
Last month, Lucy’s parents, Melissa and Andres Fernandez wrote an Op-Ed discussing the need for boating safety and showing their support for House Bill 289, also known as Lucy’s Law. The bill proposes an expansion of boating education requirements and stricter penalties for those who violate the law with the aim of improving safety on the water to prevent future tragedies.
“It is too late to save Lucy, but not too late to protect others from the same, devastating pain,” the Fernandez’s said.
Ira Leesfield, the Managing Partner and Founder of Leesfield & Partners with decades of maritime law experience, agreed that these incidents must be addressed.
“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. “Important safety standards must be enforced on all watercrafts.”
Leesfield & Partners
Florida not only leads the nation in registered vessels but also in boating deaths. Historic data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows a staggering amount of these incidents involve operators with no formal boater’s education. In 2023, the most up-to-date available data from the FWC, there were 659 reportable boating incidents with 59 fatalities. The most common cause of crashes was a collision with a fixed object, the data showed.
Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties, where Leesfield & Partners has two of three Florida offices, were the areas with the most boating incidents in the state.
Leesfield & Partners has litigated numerous boating and other vessel incidents in its 48 years of personal injury practice. In that time, the firm has secured numerous record verdicts and settlements for injured clients and their families. In addition to litigating these cases, representing the injured victims of these crashes and their grieving families, Leesfield & Partners also does its part to remind people about boating safety. Every holiday weekend, when people tend to head out on the water, the firm posts safety advisories on its digital sign – a fixture outside of its Miami office on U.S.1, which sees thousands of daily commuters.
Previous Boating Injury Cases
A substantial settlement was secured by Leesfield & Partners in a case involving a minor who lost a leg while not being supervised on a vessel.
The firm previously handled the case of a family whose young son was snorkeling when he was hit and killed by a passing boater. The boater in that case was also a minor who should never have been given permission to operate the vessel without supervision. Not only did this minor not stop, but he attempted to cover up evidence and lied to police when questioned.
Neighbors later testified that this minor regularly operated the boat in a reckless manner.
In a parasailing boating injury case, involving a mother and daughter who were vacationing on a cruise ship when they purchased the excursion, Leesfield & Partners secured $7.25 million for the grieving family. What should have been a lasting memory for the two ended in tragedy when a rope connected to the boat towing them suddenly snapped because of high winds. The two fell rapidly from the sky, causing catastrophic injuries to the daughter. The mother was killed in the incident.
The firm represented the family of a young woman, 20, who tragically died when the vessel she was on crashed into a concrete dock. The firm secured over $1.3 million for the family when it was revealed that the boat operator had been drinking and speeding the night of the crash.
In a jet ski and boat crash, Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured $935,750 for their client.
In a boat case involving a foreign resort, the firm secured an $800,000 recovery for the injured client.
Another boating accident involving a negligent operator resulted in a $500,000 recovery.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, recently secured the maximum, capped settlement for the family of a young lobster diver and father-to-be. The lobster diver was in the water when a law enforcement officer failed to adhere to divers-down flag laws.
