"Leesfield & Partners"

Published on: August 8, 2025

Iconic Miami Beach Landmark to Open Water Park. What to Know.

The Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, which has largely been credited with altering the landscape of luxury hospitality in the area and was once the playground for elites including Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, has recently announced plans to build a water park on the iconic property.

The home of LIV, one of the top nightclubs in the country that has been the stage for some of the most-famous performers in the industry, is seemingly using the planned construction of a water park to beckon to new clientele: families with children. The park will include 11 slides to the hotel’s pool area, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

In a statement to the newspaper, hotel officials said the move will transform the property into ” … a destination for all-ages, with all-new pools and water features, family attractions and slides, food and beverage offerings, and elevated poolside entertainment.”

Published on: August 7, 2025

This University in South Miami is Banning E-Bikes. Here’s Why.

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has been an outspoken advocate for regulating the use of E-bikes and E-scooters throughout communities and now, years later, officials are heeding his warning.

The University of Miami recently announced a plan to tighten restrictions on personal mobility devices on campus. E-bikes and E-scooters will be banned from sidewalks, breezeways, the Foote Green and other pedestrian areas starting Tuesday, Aug. 19. Undergraduate classes for the fall 2025 semester are scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 18, according to the university’s online calendar.

The move at the University of Miami was made to tighten these restrictions are a part of a safety campaign started by the school’s Parking and Transportation Department after a “growing number” of pedestrian collisions, blocked emergency routes and battery fires, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The issues with student drivers flagged in the article — riders distracted by cellphones, blaring music and zooming through pedestrian areas — are all concerns raised by Mr. Leesfield when he first warned against their use in 2019.

Published on: August 7, 2025

Miami Pilot Dies in Indiana Crash Last Week, officials say. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A renowned pilot from Miami who was the 10^th woman to fly solo around the world in 2024 died in a crash in Indiana on July 30 while trying to repeat the journey, CBS News reported Wednesday.

Anh-Thu Nguyen, 44, died in Greenwood, Indiana, while attempting to circumnavigate the world in her Lancair IB-P named “Amelia.” In 2024, she secured the title as the 10^th woman to circumnavigate the world, making 25 stops all over the globe. Before her death, she had logged over 4,000 flight hours, served as a commercial pilot, and flew for companies such as Amazon, Boeing, Bombardier and Gulfstream.

The crash happened just before 11 a.m. when her plane began making several “strange aerial maneuvers,” according to media reporting. Later, the plane nose-dived into a grassy area about a mile southeast of the Indy South Greenwood Airport. The plane went down just a few feet behind a gas station. She was the only person on the plane at the time of the crash.

Published on: August 5, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Representing Family of Girl, 7, Injured in Miami Beach Deadly Sailboat Crash.

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners is representing 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber and her family following the devastating sailboat crash that killed three other minors in Miami Beach.

“My heart goes out to the families of those involved in this most tragic incident,” said Partner Justin B. Shapiro. “Very few details have been shared with the public, and it is too early to cast blame on any particular individual or entity. Regardless, it is absolutely clear this is an incident that cannot happen in the absence of negligence, incompetence, or both.”

Calena’s parents, Karina Gruber Moreno and Enrique Areyan Viqueira, issued a statement Monday to local media asking for privacy following her release from the hospital.

Published on: August 5, 2025

Third Child Dies in Miami Beach Barge-Sailboat Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 10-year-old girl has died at the hospital days after being involved in a barge-sailboat crash in Miami Beach that killed two other children.

Arielle Mazi Buchman died Thursday at Jackson Memorial Hospital, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Mila Tankelevich, 7, and 13-year-old Erin Victoria Ko Han died on July 28, the day that the 17-foot Hobie Getaway they were on as a part of a Miami Yacht Club summer camp program was hit by a 60-foot barge. The barge was being pulled by a tugboat.

Published on: August 4, 2025

Coast Guard: Captain of Tugboat in Fatal Miami Beach Sailboat Crash Not Impaired. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Neither the tugboat captain, a camp counselor, nor a person aboard the barge was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the fatal boat crash that killed one child and injured others off Miami Beach on Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

These initial findings were reported Friday by The Miami Herald after a 60-foot barge being pulled by a tugboat slammed into a 17-foot Hobie Gateway carrying at five children with the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation and their camp counselor.

At least two girls died and two more were seriously injured in the crash, which occurred between Hibiscus and Monuments islands.

Published on: August 4, 2025

Housekeeper Jumps to Save Toddler Drowning in Pool. Now, Father Faces Charges.

By Leesfield & Partners

A housekeeper at a Melbourne, Florida, hotel spotted a toddler drowning in the pool and raced to pull him out, but tragically, the child later died at the hospital despite her efforts.

The incident happened as the 3-year-old boy’s father allegedly dozed next to him, passed out on the pool steps, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday. As the woman was cleaning a room on the hotel’s third floor, she told police that she spotted the boy floating in the deep end of the pool. She screamed for the father to wake up, but he did not stir, according to local media reporting.

The woman ran downstairs and jumped into the pool. Not knowing CPR, she told police that she pounded on the child’s chest and tried calling for help.

Published on: July 31, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Answers: When do I stop for a school bus in Florida? Other school-zone-traffic-related questions

By Leesfield & Partners

With the dreaded return of school bells this August comes the equally as detested return of morning traffic in Miami; here’s everything you need to know about school zone laws in Florida.

As a personal injury law firm with nearly five decades of experience handling pedestrian-involved accidents and other motor vehicle accidents, Leesfield & Partners attorneys know just how dangerous Florida roads can be. From distractions on the roads such as cellphones to driving under the influence, our skilled trial attorneys have handled just about every injury that can occur on the road.

In a previous and tragic Leesfield & Partners case, a child’s life was forever changed one morning when he was hit by a speeding driver while trying to board his school bus. The boy’s school bus driver instructed him to cross the street while stopped in the middle of the road instead of as far to the right as possible. The driver also instructed our client and other children to cross the street where there was no designated crosswalk.

Published on: July 30, 2025

Two Minors Died in Miami Beach Boat Crash Monday. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Two children have died and two more are in the hospital after a barge hit a sailboat carrying several minors and a camp counselor, 19, from the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation, according to reporting from local media.

The incident happened around 11:15 a.m. between Monument Island and Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach. The collision, which caused the barge to go over the top of the sailboat and caused the sailboat to sink, sent an adult counselor and five children into the water. The children on board ranged in age from 7 to 13 years old, officials said.

Two children — a 7-year-old girl and 13-year-old girl — died at the hospital. Two other girls, 8 and 11 years old, were taken to the hospital and remained in critical condition as of Tuesday morning.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Washington Man Dies in ‘Tragic Mishap’ on Electric Scooter, police say.

By Leesfield & Partners

A man riding an electric scooter on July 19 died after falling into the road and getting hit by a tractor-trailer, according to a press release this week from the Spokane Police Department.

Sean Nolan, 21, was riding an electric scooter on a sidewalk in Spokane County, Washington, police said. He was the rear passenger on the scooter and lost his balance before falling into the road. The man driving the scooter also fell but landed on the sidewalk. Nolan was hit by an oncoming tractor-trailer.

The driver stopped and attempted to “render aid,” before police arrived, officials said. Both police officers and firefighters also attempted to give first aid, but Nolan was pronounced dead at the scene.