"Florida Keys"

Published on: March 13, 2025

Boat Captain Found Guilty of Passenger’s Propeller Death in 2020

A Marion County diving boat captain was found guilty this week of seaman’s manslaughter in the death of a diver who tragically drowned during a propeller malfunction in March 2020.

A federal jury found Dustin Sean McCabe, 49, of Ocala, Florida, guilty this week on the seaman’s manslaughter charges as well as for lying to the Coast Guard and committing Covid-19 relief fraud, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Seaman’s manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Florida. Mcabe could face up to 10 years in prison for the seaman’s manslaughter charges, up to five years for lying to the coast guard and up to 20 years for the wire fraud.

McCabe is set to be sentenced June 12 before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon.

Published on: March 6, 2025

Three Hospitalized Following Crash Monday on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys

By Leesfield & Partners

Three people were airlifted to the hospital following a head-on crash on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys Monday afternoon, according to reporting from local media.

The crash happened around 2 p.m. between a GMC Denali pickup truck and a BMW SUV. Photos from the Miami Herald show the mangled aftermath of the collision and first responders scrambling around the BMW, the front of both vehicles appeared to be crushed in photos.

The pickup was heading south and turned into the northbound lane and struck the BMW, officials with the Florida Highway Patrol told reporters. Officials said they did not know why the truck turned into the northbound lane.

Published on: January 24, 2025

Key West Firefighters Complete Additional Training as Fires Continue to Rage in California. How Leesfield & Partners is Providing Aid.

By Leesfield & Partners

Amid horrific wildfires that have ravaged homes, wreaking havoc on the lives of thousands of Californians, Key West firefighters have completed additional training to improve their emergency response.

Firefighters in Key West recently completed their Florida Urban Search and Rescue Confined Space Technical Rescue training course, a lesson that teaches how to safely and effectively get people out of complicated fire situations. The course focuses on hazard analysis, risk assessment, training levels of personnel and the availability of external resources.

Providing Aid

Published on: January 21, 2025

Charter Boat Captain Charged After July 8 Florida Keys Crash that Injured Eight, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

The charter captain of a boat that crashed into a bridge over the summer, injuring several people including an 11-year-old boy, has been accused of being under the influence during the crash.

Laurence Lewis, 42, was charged this week with three counts of felony boating under the influence, causing serious bodily injury, as well as one felony count of child neglect. Additionally, he faces a misdemeanor count of aggravated boating under the influence accompanied by a minor, misdemeanor reckless boating and possession of drug paraphernalia. Authorities found Lewis at his home in Big Pine Key Tuesday, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. He was granted a $195,000 bond Wednesday morning and was released from jail.

Lewis was allegedly under the influence of drugs and had consumed tequila on July 8, 2024, the day of the crash, according to officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission who investigated the crash.

Published on: January 6, 2025

Service Member Stops Hotel Armed Robbery in Progress. In 48 Years of Personal Injury Practice, Leesfield & Partners Knows Many Others Are Not So Lucky.

By Leesfield & Partners

A U.S. airman stopped a Fort Walton Beach hotel robbery by making a simple call Friday, according to police.

The incident happened just before 10 a.m. Friday at a Residence Inn when the airman was walking through the lobby and noticed a “suspicious interaction” between the clerk and a person at the front desk. Luckily for the clerk, he called police as he left the lobby.

Police announced in a Dec. 30 news release that the man at the front desk had “brandished what appeared to be a concealed weapon in his jacket and demanded money.”

Published on: September 23, 2024

Florida Divers Break Record in Annual Competition. What to Know About Safe Diving

By Leesfield & Partners

Divers broke records this year in an annual competition to remove invasive lionfish from Florida waters, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission press release.

The 2024 Lionfish Season concluded with a record-breaking 31,773 species being pulled from the water. Just under 300 divers went on over 700 trips throughout the state to retrieve the animals that are dangerous to native fish and coral reefs.

One lionfish can reduce a native reef fish population by over 70%. They also present a risk to humans with their venomous spines which can cause painful stings. In 2022, over 25,000 lionfish were removed from Florida waters in FWC’s annual, summer-long challenge, which began in 2016.

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 10, 2024

Woman rushed to hospital after electrocution from lamp post in Key Largo, officials say

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman walking Tuesday morning was rushed to the hospital for electrocution injuries after leaning on a lamp post in Rowell’s Waterfront Park in Key Largo.

The woman was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital and was in stable condition as of Wednesday despite suffering through muscle spasms all Tuesday night, according to reporting from local news outlets. Her husband told reporters “the whole pole was live” and that his wife simply touched one of the street lights and was shocked. As a result of the electrocution, the woman had a burn mark the size of a dime on her knee.

Officials with Monroe County Parks and Beaches along with Wire Nuts, a company hired to conduct the repairs, were investigating the incident. The park, 8 acres of waterfront property located along the Overseas Highway, underwent repairs in the last few years including the construction of new restrooms, walking paths, lighting, wi-fi and electricity. The light poles that electrocuted the woman Tuesday were installed approximately two years ago.

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.