Miami

Published on: December 18, 2024

Self-Driving Taxis in Miami? A Look Back at Motor Vehicle Crash Litigation at Leesfield & Partners

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.

Published on: December 13, 2024

Florida Classroom Vacated Following Beloved Teacher’s Legionnaires’ Disease Death.

By Leesfield & Partners

Seven elementary school classrooms in Pinellas County, Florida, were vacated this month after a beloved teacher died from Legionnaires’ Disease.

Katherine Pennington, a kindergarten teacher employed by the Pinellas County School District, died on Nov. 24 after testing positive for Legionella bacteria. As of Wednesday morning, it is unclear where Pennington may have been exposed to the bacteria.

This month, as a precaution, the students were moved from the building where Pennington taught to other classrooms on the campus while the school’s air systems and water systems were checked. In a statement to the public, the Pinellas County School District announced that an environmental company was cleaning the building.

Published on: November 20, 2024

Judge Orders Miami Developer to Surrender to Authorities in Vessel Homicide Case Resulting From 2022 Boca Chita Crash. A Look at Previous Leesfield & Partners Boating Cases

By Leesfield & Partners

The operator of a boat involved in a 2022 boat crash in Boca Chita Key that killed one teen and permanently injured another has been ordered to surrender to police after news broke last month he would be facing vessel homicide charges, according to local news outlets.

The order was signed by a judge Wednesday and calls for 54-year-old George Pino, a Miami real estate developer, to surrender to authorities. In addition to the vessel homicide charge, Pino will allegedly face one count of driving a vessel in a reckless manner.

What Happened?

Published on: October 25, 2024

Lawsuit Filed Following Shooting at Miami Gardens Community

By Leesfield & Partners

In 2023, the families of Edward Dixon and Taborez White were rocked by the news of their deaths in two separate shootings within the same Miami Gardens community. Now, over a year after their deaths, their families have banded together in a lawsuit, claiming that Cedar Grove Apartments, the complex where the shootings took place, didn’t do enough to protect them.

“He was in the prime of his life when he was ripped from this Earth and us,” Marcia Dixon, Dixon’s mother, said in a press conference Wednesday.

Dixon went to the apartment complex to visit a friend in January 2023 when he was shot, his mother told local media.

Published on: October 10, 2024

One dead following morning Broward County crash on Oct. 2, officials say

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman died after her car careened into a Broward County canal following a crash, police said.

Police were called out to the crash around 6 a.m. Wednesday in Cooper City after they received 911 calls about a car in the canal. The driver allegedly crashed into a bridge barrier and plunged into a nearby canal.

There were at least two people in the car at the time of the crash, including the woman who was driving and a man who was able to make it out of the car, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Published on: August 26, 2024

Broward School Cafeteria Evacuated, Several People Hospitalized Following Possible Carbon Monoxide Leak.

By Leesfield & Partners

An entire school cafeteria was evacuated from a Broward County High School Friday morning for a possible carbon monoxide leak, officials said.

Five people were hospitalized and said they experienced symptoms of lightheadedness, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. None of the people who were taken to the hospital were students.

The issue began around 10:30 a.m. and emergency responders are checking the school’s carbon monoxide levels. While school officials said in a statement that the leak was “contained,” students were dismissed from classes early.

Published on: August 22, 2024

Girl, 3, drowned at Miami-Dade County Park in Hialeah over the weekend.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 3-year-old drowned Saturday in a lake at the Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah after she was separated from her family member, police say.

Alarm bells were sounded when the family member told park rangers they could not find the little girl. Park officials began searching and found the child’s body in one of the five lakes on the 515-acre property. Emergency responders took the child to Palmetto General Hospital where she later died.

In May, Miami-Dade County unveiled new enhancement plans for the park, including a new recreation center with a pool and splash pad.