Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
A girl, 7, who was hit by a car while walking with her mother outside of a Miami pharmacy Monday remains hospitalized in critical condition, officials say.
The incident happened around 4 p.m. at a Navarro Pharmacy on SW 32nd Ave. and 22nd St. when a 92-year-old woman in a Nissan SUV allegedly drove onto the sidewalk. Police told local news outlets that the woman was attempting to park her car when she mistakenly stepped on the accelerator.
The woman was cited for driving recklessly and further charges are possible, police told reporters.
A Look at the Numbers
Pedestrians have accounted for 1,151 of the total 38,034 crashes in Miami-Dade County so far in 2024, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Crash Dashboard. Of the pedestrian-involved incidents, 45 have been fatal. There have been approximately 183 fatalities overall in the county in 2024.
In 2023, there were 63,837 total crashes and 342 deaths. Of the 342 deaths, 101 were pedestrians, according to the data. Pedestrian-involved incidents accounted for 1,834 of all crashes in Miami-Dade County for that year.
A History Representing Injured Pedestrians
Leesfield & Partners has built a reputation as one of the most reputable personal injury law firms in the state over 48 years of representing injured clients and their families in places such as Miami, Key West and Orlando. In over four decades of practice, the firm has seen some of the most gruesome and devastating cases of pedestrian injuries. These cases have sparked a need in the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner Ira Leesfield to become a public safety advocate in his hometown of Miami, Florida, which sees thousands of pedestrian-involved crashes every year.
In addition to the firm’s legal work, Mr. Leesfield works with safety organizations through The Leesfield Family Foundation to promote awareness of distracted and impaired driving. He was recently named onto the board of Friends of The Underline, an organization dedicated to transforming the previously unused space underneath the Metrorail into a community gathering space. In addition to the organization’s work creating public art installations and parks in these spaces, safety initiatives will be installed to make the area better for commuters going to or from the Metrorail, which is located across the street from the firm’s Miami office.
Advocacy work aside, the firm has handled thousands of claims of injuries on the road. Pedestrian-involved crashes attorneys have worked on over the years range from distracted drivers who have injured bicyclists in Key West to drivers who have made illegal turns, costing the life of a young mother.
In that case, the woman was visiting the state from Canada with her family when she was killed by a pickup truck while crossing the street. The driver in that case claimed not to have seen her. The case was settled for $8.5 million with the defendant following a $27 million arbitration award.
Another woman, represented by Partner and Trial Lawyer Justin B. Shapiro, was awarded $6 million following a crash that had her fighting for her life in hospital. The incident occurred while the woman was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk while on a break from her work at an office nearby. Though the woman had the right of way, a pickup truck driver ran her down while attempting to make an illegal left turn. Her injuries included skull fractures and brain hemorrhages
This recovery was the maximum recovery for this client.
Other pedestrian-involved incidents that the firm has handled in recent years total over $10 million in recovery for injured clients or grieving families who have suffered a tragic loss at the hands of negligent drivers.
