Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Thanks to recent advancements in autonomous vehicle technology, self-driving cars are no longer a thing of the past, and driverless robotaxis may soon be available for transit in Miami.
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced it expects to bring these taxis to Miami, making the city the fifth in the U.S. with this service. The company currently boasts 150,000 weekly rides, all without drivers, in cities like San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
The decision, however, has not come without controversy. A federal investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Waymo vehicle collisions with a fixed object in May. In addition to these collisions, incidents in which the cars allegedly went the wrong way down the road and ran through traffic lights are what prompted the investigation.
Waymo does not publicly share detailed internal data about its cars’ operations or proprietary safety protocols, meaning that specifics needed to fully quantify these cars’ safety are not disclosed.
Public Safety Advocate
In nearly half a century operating in South Florida, Leesfield & Partners has seen more than its fair share of tragic crash cases that have changed the lives of families forever. With the lack of specific, public information available concerning these vehicles, it can be hard to measure their safety, leaving many hesitant to totally rely on the technology. Harrowing incidents, such as the tragic death of a 50-year-old Tesla driver in Delray Beach, who perished after his car on autopilot crossed underneath a tractor-trailer, and a woman in San Francisco who went viral for posting a video of a man harassing her while riding in a Waymo vehicle, likely linger in the minds of those considering riding in these autonomous cars. Closer to Leesfield & Partners’ headquarters, a couple was killed in Coral Gables in 2021 when their speeding vehicle abruptly turned left into a tree. The NHTSA is still determining whether autopilot was deployed during the crash.
Florida has had 241 autonomous vehicle incidents between 2019 and 2024, according to data from the NHTSA.
While it remains uncertain whether these vehicles will be safe enough for regular, everyday use, some may view the potential risks as too high a price to pay. In a bid to improve pubic safety in his homebase after decades as a personal injury attorney, Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, started The Leesfield Family Foundation. Through his charitable organization, Mr. Leesfield has been able to contribute to various entities dedicated to public safety such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Friends of The Underline.
The Highline Park, which will house the Leesfield family Garden directly across from the law firm’s office on South Dixie Highway, is a part of Friends of The Underline’s initiative to improve pedestrian safety and transform the previously unused area beneath the Metrorail.
In addition to advocating for road safety, Mr. Leesfield and Leesfield & Partners have spent decades litigating product liability cases, many of which have resulted in industry-wide change and have highlighted latent dangers present to unsuspecting consumers.
Previous Cases
Leesfield & Partners has a long history of representing Florida crash victims, amassing over $300,000,000 for crashes involving motor vehicles, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians and more. In that time, our attorneys have developed cutting-edge trial techniques that have helped them achieve record verdicts and settlements on behalf of injured clients and their grieving families.
Previously, Leesfield & Partners represented a Fort Lauderdale family whose son was hit by a car while he tried to cross the street. The child’s head hit the pavement with the impact of the crash, and he sustained a traumatic brain injury.
A $1.2 million settlement was obtained for the family in that case.
The firm secured nearly $37 million for the wrongful death of an individual involved in a motor vehicle collision.
In a case involving road construction that resulted in a crash, Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained $29.7 million.
In a product liability case, Leesfield & Partners secured $17.5 million for a family whose toddler was killed in a furniture tip-over accident. As a result of this case, the manufacturer agreed to modify its dresser catalog to warn end-users about the potential risk of furniture tip-over incidents and the need to anchor such furniture to a wall.
Another product liability case resulted in a nearly $11 million award for the family whose loved one was killed as a result of a company’s negligence.
Another case handled by Leesfield & Partners attorneys resulted in a $1,100,000 award for a family whose 4-month-old suffocated due to a design defect in a product for children.
Attorneys with the firm also secured a $2.5 million settlement amount for the family of a man who died after his ventilator malfunctioned from a power outage in the middle of the night. The backup battery for the ventilator lasted less than 10 minutes after the outage and alarms, meant to alert caregivers of an issue, failed to go off. Even though there were numerous other complaints to the manufacturer regarding this device that spanned a decade, neither the manufacturer nor the respiratory company took the necessary steps to address the issue or alert patients’ families.
Leesfield & Partners has also represented clients in areas such as ATV manufacturing – raising alarms about these dangerous vehicles being marketed as children’s toys – and baby and juvenile products. One case in particular, involving the tragic suffocation death of a child in a highchair, resulted in industrywide change for these products. Some of the changes included additional rules for straps and harnesses, tray size and mechanisms as well as clear and specific instructions and warnings.
