Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg

Published on: June 27, 2025

Generators Can Save You During a Hurricane — Unless You Make This One Mistake

With the 2025 hurricane season nearing its first full month, safety experts are urging Floridians to avoid a dangerous but all-too-common generator error.

As hurricane season continues, families all across the Sunshine State will prepare their homes and/or essential electricity devices — such as phone chargers, medical equipment and refrigerators — to be powered by generators in case of any power outages. Generators burn fuels like propane, diesel or gasoline in order to produce electricity. Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of that combustion process and, if not properly ventilated, then that can make for some pretty dangerous circumstances for unwitting residents.

Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

Published on: June 27, 2025

Movie Theater’s Armed Guard Sentenced in Florida Minor’s Rape, authorities say

By Leesfield & Partners

A Florida movie theater’s armed guard was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of raping a girl, 15.

Augusta Williams, 34, was convicted of lewd or lascivious battery on a child aged 12 to 16, the State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit announced Monday.

The incident happened on Jan. 14, 2023, when the teen was at the movies in Ocala with a group of friends, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The teen’s friends were picked up by a grandparent who refused to take the minor home. The teen could not reach a parent and Williams, an armed security guard at the theater, allegedly offered to watch over the minor.

Published on: June 25, 2025

Minor on ATV Runs Stop Sign, Killing 6-year-old, police say. How Ira Leesfield has Warned Against ATVs for Decades.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 12-year-old maneuvering an all-terrain vehicle ran a stop sign, causing a deadly crash with a car in Louisiana, police say.

Emergency responders were called regarding the crash around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The minor who was driving was accompanied by three passengers — ages 10, 6, and 4 — at the time of the incident. None of the children were wearing seatbelts, police said.

The 12-year-old allegedly ran a stop sign and collided with a car.

Published on: June 25, 2025

Man Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting Named by Police in Miami. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Police have named the man who was killed in an officer-involved shooting following a chase in North Miami-Dade as 24-year-old Kristofer Lazaro Laboy.

Laboy, who was driving a yellow Corvette, is said to have fled from deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office when they attempted to conduct a traffic stop Tuesday afternoon. The traffic stop was initiated near Northwest 62^nd Street and Northwest 22^nd Avenue.

Police initiated the stop because of illegal tints on his car windows, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. What ensued was a chase that lasted for about a mile — involving a helicopter to help police track down the car — and ended in an apartment community near Northwest Fourth Court and Northwest 85^th Street.

Published on: June 19, 2025

One Hospitalized Following Miami Gardens House Fire. How Leesfield & partners Attorneys Have Represented Florida Fire Victims for 48 Years.

By Leesfield & Partners

An investigation is currently underway to reveal the cause of a fire that erupted from a Miami Gardens home Wednesday morning, according to local media reporting.

Firefighters were called out to the home near 15221 Northwest 33^rd Avenue around 5:30 a.m.

At least one person was taken to the hospital, possibly to treat injuries from smoke inhalation, according to reporting from WSVN.

Published on: June 17, 2025

Second Boat Fire in as Many Weeks at South Florida Marina. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least four boats at the Grove Isle marina in Coconut Grove were damaged after a fire broke out Tuesday morning.

Firefighters were called out to the area around 7:30 a.m. after two boats docked at the marina burst into flames, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. The fire was contained within 10 minutes and no injuries were reported.

Two other boats had exterior heat damage, but their interior were not damaged, according to reporting.

Published on: June 16, 2025

Teen E-Bike Rider Chased Down by Enraged Florida Driver. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A driver faces multiple charges after police say she chased a minor e-biker for several blocks in North Florida.

Julia Kalthof, 65, of Palm Coast, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and reckless driving, the Miami Herald reported Friday. She was also cited for driving on a multi-use path and released on a $3,000 bond.

The incident happened on June 7 in Palm Coast, about a 60-mile drive south from Jacksonville, when emergency responders got a 911 call from a man reporting an erratic SUV driver following an e-bike rider on a multi-use path. Luckily, a Good Samaritan in another car blocked Kalthof’s SUV, allowing the 14-year-old biker to escape, according to a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Published on: June 12, 2025

Four Children Dead, Nine Injured in Florida Suspected Drunk Driving Crash. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Victims for 48 Years.

By Leesfield & Partners

A drunk driving suspect ploughed through a popular Fort Myers taco stand Monday, killing at least four children and injuring nine other people.

Luis Alejando Velasquez Herrera, 20, of Fort Myers, was charged with one count of driving under the influence and nine counts of being involved in a DUI crash with property damage or personal injury, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The incident happened around 11:15 p.m. Monday at the La Mexicana Taco Stand on Palm Beach Boulevard.

Velasquez Herrera is accused of striking the outdoor seating area, which consists of picnic style tables situated beneath the shade of a tent. At least two families were in the area at the time. The children who were killed include a 16-year-old, a 15-year-old, a 9-year-old, and a toddler, 3. The other nine who were injured were taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Published on: June 12, 2025

Sunny Isles Dock Fire Damages Several Boats. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A boat fire that broke out at the Sunny Isles Beach boat dock resulted in a blaze that damaged several vessels and caused an emergency dock evacuation as well as an evacuation at nearby high-rise condos, The Miami Herald reported Friday.

Firefighters were called out to the area around 5:15 a.m. as the fire spread from the first vessel to those nearby, causing a precautionary evacuation. No injuries were reported, however, photos show blackened vessels in complete ruin in the aftermath of the fire.

A cause of the fire was not immediately available Friday.

Published on: June 6, 2025

What Caused Fort Lauderdale Boat Explosion on Memorial Day? Investigators Reveal Possible Cause.

By Leesfield & Partners

Investigators have revealed the possible cause for a Memorial Day boat explosion on the Intracoastal waters near the Lauderdale Yacht Club that killed one person — the igniting of fuel vapors.

The possible cause was revealed to reporters with WSVN by investigators in an article relaying the recorded 911 calls from panicked witnesses on the day of the explosion.

“A boat just, like, exploded, I don’t know, people just flew off the boat,” one caller told emergency responders. “Everyone’s jumping in the water. I’m watching a boat that I think just exploded, or, I think just caught on fire. I’m not sure what’s going on, there was a loud explosion, now a couple people are back on the boat.”