Hello everyone. After speaking with family, I am setting this up for my cousin Leo (Officer Leonard Cantave). He was struck by a reckless driver while helping out on a traffic scene on his way to work, and was seriously injured. The story has been covered by virtually every news outlet.

Story: https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/driver-who-struck-miami-dade-deputy-on-floridas-turnpike-arrested-sheriff/3740551/

Leo is, for all intents and purposes, my brother. He's a first cousin on my father's side. He was born in New Jersey and spent his youth in Haiti. When his mother passed away in the 90s, he came to live with my family in New York. He graduated from high school there and moved with us to Miami. Since then, he spent 20 years in the U.S. Army as an officer (many of those years in Kosovo, formerly part of Serbia, where he met his wife) and nearly 14 years as an officer in the Department of Corrections. He has continued his law enforcement career as part of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office. Leo is old school. He lives a simple life, works hard, is very family-focused, and loves to help others. This is a story about him helping a homeless person get on her feet: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1430649827834462

We should be proud to have guys like Leo both on the frontlines and protecting our streets. So this is where I ask our communities to come together to make sure Leo has the best recovery he can have. Leo was airlifted to HCA Kendall (formerly Kendall Regional) where he is currently recovering. Thank God he is awake and alert after being in a coma for a week. Leo faces a long and grueling recovery from his injuries, most of which have required surgery so far. He suffered a broken leg and arm (both with hardware), an injured shoulder, and many internal injuries. As I have had a long career working both as an adjuster and in personal injury, I know that there is no way to tell how he will recover or how long it will take. Without speaking to what I don't have confirmation of, I know there will be some applicable coverages for his bills and recovery. However, there are so many unknowns at this point. He may need subsequent surgeries, we don't know how complicated rehabilitation will be, and we don't know how long it will take for him to make a full recovery. The person who hit him has had his license suspended 5 times, admitted to smoking and drinking prior to the crash, has been arrested and charged with felony reckless driving. It is unlikely that this person had any liability coverage, much less adequate coverage to make my cousin whole again. While these things are sorted out (could take months), my family and I want to make sure he and his wife don't have to worry about anything but his recovery. So I hope to get this to all of our South Florida communities and beyond, to help a good man, a good civil servant, who was dealt a bad hand while helping others. Please Share This! He needs our support. Every dollar collected will go directly to Leo and his family. Anything you can spare will be very much appreciated. Thank you and God bless!