Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Four people, including three minors, were hospitalized Friday following a crash near multi-day wildfires that raged on U.S. 1 in Miami-Dade.
The crash happened around 1 p.m. near Mile Marker 121 on U.S. 1, involving multiple vehicles. Three children and one adult were taken to local hospitals and one child had to be airlifted. No names or other identifiers have been released as of Tuesday morning.
In reporting from NBC 6 South Florida, reporters said that officials described at least two of the children as trauma patients.
As the nearby fires raged on, emergency responders took to Twitter to remind drivers to “avoid driving near the area of the southeast Miami-Dade brush fire.”
U.S. 1 was closed intermittently throughout the week as firefighters battled the flames and aerial resources were used to combat the wildfires that occurred near the Florida Keys. The massive, eight-day fire is suspected by investigators to be the result of arson, though no official conclusion has been released. In addition to U.S. 1 closures, Card Sound Road, one of the only ways in and out of the Florida Keys, was also intermittently closed as firefighters worked to put out the fires.
Additional information related to the crash, including the children’s condition, was not available as of Tuesday morning.
Leesfield & Partners
Whether clients were burned in a fire or badly injured in a car crash, Leesfield & Partners attorneys are equipped with the compassion and trial experience to handle their cases. With nearly five decades of experience this firm and its attorneys are tenacious advocates for clients, individuals who have often suffered tremendous losses in accidents spanning from explosive fire incidents to accidents on the road. Our attorneys have regularly secured record and historic settlements and verdicts for clients throughout Florida from three statewide offices including in Key West, Orland and Miami.
Recently, Eric Shane, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, secured a settlement over $2.2 million for a client who was horrifically burned in an electrocution incident.
And, earlier this month, Partner Justin B. Shapiro, obtained a $1.5 million settlement for a client involved in a motor vehicle crash that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. In that case, our client and a passenger were on a motorcycle when a negligent driver plowed into them, ejecting both men from the vehicle.
No matter the injury type, our attorneys aggressively pursue the best possible outcome for each client. Our attorneys have represented drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists and truckers in various personal injury lawsuits. One tragic case previously handled by the firm involves the loss of a family’s beloved daughter and permanent injury to their son. The family was on their way to the airport to drop off their daughter at the airport for her medical school’s orientation when a drunk driver speeding down the wrong side of I-95 hit them in a head-on collision.
The crash resulted in catastrophic brain and orthopedic injuries to their 21-year-old son who requires round-the-clock care and has been confined to a wheelchair and the devastating loss of their daughter. She was 23.
Our attorneys were able to determine that not only was the driver senselessly driving drunk, speeding down the wrong side of the road, but he had also been overserved at a popular Miami bar during his bender. A jury awarded $95 million to the family, with $57 million going to the son and $38 million going to the grieving parents. This is the largest motor vehicle accident verdict in Miami-Dade County’s history.
“The result in this case shows what hard work and creative lawyering can do for clients with devastating injuries,” said Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner. “Along with co-counsel Aaron Davis, we are happy to settle with two defendants and to obtain this record verdict for them.”
Previous Cases
In addition to the $95 million verdict, Leesfield & Partners has also obtained other favorable results for clients injured in motor vehicle collisions. In a wrongful death motor vehicle accident, the firm obtained over $36 million for a grieving family.
In a crash resulting from road construction, the firm secured $29.7 million for injured clients.
When a Fort Lauderdale handyman, the backseat passenger in a stopped car, was hit from behind by a driver attempting to flee police, Leesfield & Partners obtained a $15.4 million verdict. The case, which was heard in the Florida Supreme Court, involved a handyman who was hit by a speeding drunk driver, causing him to suffer brain damage. He was only 22 years old at the time of the crash.
Due to his injuries and a seizure he developed as a result, our client’s previous career was a thing of the past. A jury awarded our client $2.7 million for past and future lost wages, $6.7 million for past and future medical care and $6 million for past and future pain and suffering.
The firm settled a case for over $8.6 million after a negligent truck driver made an illegal U-turn on the turnpike, causing a fatal collision with three young girls. The teens were traveling together to the library when the commercial truck made the turn, directly into their path, resulting in the horrific crash.
Two of the three girls were severely injured, and one was killed. In addition to the settlement, the firm also obtained an over $7.8 wrongful death arbitration award.
If you or a loved one were involved in a motor vehicle collision in Florida, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today for a free consultation at 305-854-4900 to see if you may be eligible to make a claim.
