Experienced Negligent Security Lawyers Who Will Fight for You
When property owners fail to provide proper security, the consequences can be devastating for innocent victims. These individuals often find themselves caught in the aftermath of horrific crimes that could have been prevented. The lack of adequate security measures leaves them vulnerable to harm and suffering that might have been avoided if reasonable steps had been taken.
Such negligence not only affects the immediate safety of the victims but also leads to long-lasting physical and emotional trauma. It is crucial for property owners to understand the serious impact their failure to maintain a safe environment can have on others.
Give us a call at (833) 372-3529 for a free consultation.
Why Property Owners Need to Take Responsibility
Under premises liability law, property owners have a pretty clear-cut responsibility to keep their property secure – at least secure enough to protect visitors. When they blow it and let a crime happen because of their own neglect, the poor victim deserves to get the justice and the compensation they’re owed.
The Long-Term Toll on Victims
The harm caused by negligent security doesn’t just stop at the moment the crime happens. Victims often end up with long-term physical injuries – like head trauma, broken bones, spinal cord damage, and disability that will last a lifetime. And the emotional trauma that comes with being the victim of a violent crime can just about destroy a person – leading to anxiety, depression, PTSD, and a whole lot of other problems.
Getting the Compensation You Deserve:
We’re here to help you get the financial support you need to recover from this ordeal. Our experienced team of lawyers will go after any compensation for which you are eligible – that includes medical bills, ongoing medical care, lost wages, and compensation for the pain and suffering you’re going through.
Making Sure It Doesn’t Happen to Anyone Else
By taking on the property owners who neglected their duties, we help create a safer community. If we get a good verdict or settlement, it sends a message to other property owners that they need to step up their security measures.
Time is of the Essence
In Pennsylvania, you’ve got two years to act. Evidence starts to disappear, witnesses forget what happened, and those security cameras get deleted or recorded over. Our team of lawyers will guide you through the process and make sure you get the justice you deserve.
We’ve Seen This Before
Our negligent security attorneys have a track record of success with millions in settlements and verdicts for victims of crimes caused by inadequate security. There are statistics to back us up as well. Properties that are properly lit, have security cameras, and trained security staff are 39% less likely to experience a crime, according to a U.S. Department of Justice crime prevention study.
Our Negligent Security Legal Services
Residential Property Cases
We deal with a wide range of residential property cases where property owners have failed to provide proper security measures. They might be cases of attacks in a parking lot because of bad lighting, or a break-in because the security cameras were out of order, or because the locks were faulty. We also deal with a lot of cases of attacks in poorly secured common areas like stairwells and laundry rooms.
We investigate whether the property owner knew about the risks of a crime happening, we examine the local housing codes and security requirements, and we look at the lease agreements and what the tenant’s obligations are. We’ll even determine if there were any security measures that the property owner could’ve put in place to prevent the crime that hurt you.
Commercial Property Cases
Property owners who run commercial properties have a lot of responsibilities to protect customers and employees. We deal with cases involving a whole range of situations where security measures were inadequate, like shopping malls and stores with no security staff on duty, or restaurants and bars where the security was so bad that a violent confrontation happened. We also deal with hotel and motel cases where the security was so poor that guests were vulnerable to attacks, and office building cases where the security system was faulty and didn’t allow guests to get in. We even deal with cases where convenience stores and gas stations didn’t have proper security measures in place.
In commercial cases, we have to deal with a lot of complicated liability issues – like who is responsible when a property owner hires a contractor to provide security services, or when a property owner has a complex corporate structure. We’ll navigate all the twists and turns to make sure we get the compensation you deserve.
The Top 10 Types of Negligent Security Cases We Handle
- Parking Lot Attacks: Cases where a shopping center, mall, or business fails to provide enough lighting, security cameras, or security patrols in the parking lot, and a crime happens. We’ve seen it all too many times – robberies, carjackings, and violent attacks that could’ve been prevented with proper security.
- Apartment Complex Robberies: Cases where a residential property has broken security gates, a non-functioning intercom, missing cameras, or bad lighting. Property owners who ignore security incidents over and over again have a huge weight of responsibility for what happens to their tenants.
- Hotel Room Attacks: Cases where a hotel or motel fails to provide a properly secured room. That includes faulty door locks, a broken security chain, poorly trained staff, or a lack of security personnel on duty. Hospitality businesses have a big responsibility to protect their guests from foreseeable crimes.
- Shopping Mall Violence: Cases where a big shopping mall fails to provide enough security staff during busy times, has broken security cameras, or ignores the fact that there’s a high risk of a crime happening during special events and holiday shopping periods.
- Bar and Nightclub Brawls: Cases where a bar or nightclub serves alcohol without having enough security staff on duty to control the crowd, prevent a fight, or keep an eye on things. If an establishment has a history of violent incidents, it needs to step up its security game.
- Office Building Break-ins: Cases where an office building has a compromised security system, broken doors, bad lighting in the stairwells and elevators, or no security staff on duty. If an office building has a history of these sorts of incidents, the owners need to take responsibility and do something to prevent them.
- Gas Station Robberies: Convenience stores and high-crime area gas stations that neglect to put up security cameras, or fail to keep the place well-lit, hire overnight security, or implement some sort of cash management system to stop the thieves.
- School Campus Assaults: Schools that don’t do enough to secure the campus, keep dark walkways and parking lots lit, install emergency communication systems, or train their security people to know how to deal with bad situations.
- Hospital Parking Attacks: Hospitals with poorly lit parking lots, non-working emergency call boxes, no decent security patrols, or failure to address known criminal hotspots in the area.
- ATM Robberies: Banks and financial institutions that put ATMs in places that are poorly secured, don’t put up enough lights, don’t have cameras, or don’t provide enough security to protect people using the machine.
Our Proven Track-Record and Aggressive Approach to Legal Action
Step 1: Free Case Evaluation and Evidence Collection – Get Started Right Away
Your negligent security case starts with a priority meeting to go over the basics of your case and figure out how strong your premises liability claim is. Our attorneys review police reports, medical records, incident documents, and witness statements to work out who is to blame and how much compensation you are entitled to. We snap photos and document the crime scene to highlight specific security weaknesses such as broken lights, missing security cameras, faulty locks, and other issues. We also determine all the liable parties including owners, property managers, and anyone who was supposed to keep the place safe.
Time is of the essence because evidence disappears, security footage gets deleted, and witness memories get hazy. Call (833) 372-3529 as soon as possible after the incident so we can get moving on preserving that evidence since it is not going to last forever.
Step 2: Building the Case – Proving that the Attack was Foreseeable
To win a negligent security claim, you must show that the crime was foreseeable. This means the property owners knew or should have known about the security risks that made an attack likely. We investigate old police reports, crime data for the area, talk to witnesses and security personnel, and contact local law enforcement to identify any patterns of crime. We check if the property owners were aware of past problems, tenant complaints, insurance claims related to crime, or any official notices from the police about the location being a hotspot.
We built up a whole load of evidence to show that the crime was preventable with some basic security measures.
Step 3: Bringing in the Experts – What Did Go Wrong and How Much Did it Cost?
In order to win your case, you need to show that the property owners failed to meet the minimum security standards and that is where the experts come in. We bring in qualified security consultants to examine the security measures that were in place and compare them to what you would expect at a similar property in a similar location. They assess lighting, camera placement, access control systems, security personnel training, and emergency response procedures.
We work out how much the injuries have set you back – including medical bills, lost income, and future costs. Then we get our expert witnesses ready to go, so they can tell the court how a little bit of basic security could have prevented the whole thing.
Step 4: Taking it to the Negotiating Table and the Court
With all that evidence and expert analysis in hand, we make a detailed demand to the property owners and their insurers, setting out who’s liable, how much we think they owe you, and how much we think you’ll need to cover future costs. Our experienced negotiators get on the phone, and we press for the best possible deal.
And if they don’t want to play ball, our top-notch trial lawyers are ready to put your case in front of a judge and jury. We keep you informed every step of the way, and make sure you know what’s going on and what to do next.
Frequently Asked Questions About Negligent Security Claims
How long do I have to sue in PA?
Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations means you have two years from when you got hurt to file a negligent security claim. After that, you lose the right to take the property owners to court even if you are owed a lot of money. The key is to get moving fast because evidence gets deleted or lost, witnesses forget details, and the physical evidence at the crime scene gets tampered with.
We send preservation notices out to property owners immediately to make sure they keep all the evidence safe – and we get in touch with you ASAP to get the ball rolling on preserving evidence too.
What do I need to prove in a negligent security case?
Successful negligent security claims require you to prove four key elements under premises liability law. First, the property owner had a responsibility to provide security measures that were reasonable, given the type of property, its location, and the type of risks you know are out there. Second, the property owner messed this up by not putting in place or maintaining proper security, including things like decent lighting, security cameras, access controls, and security personnel where they were needed.
Third, the criminal attack was likely to happen, based on how often similar things have happened in the place before, or because of local crime rates and known risks that the property owner should have known about. And lastly, the failure to provide proper security led directly to your injuries and any other damages you suffered.
You also need to be able to show you actually suffered real losses because of the attack, including medical bills, lost wages, the emotional toll of what happened, and other costs you’ve got to pay because of the crime.
Can I still get compensation if I was partly to blame?
In Pennsylvania, where we’re talking about here, they use a special rule called modified comparative negligence in cases where people have been injured. This means you can still get some money if you were more than 50% to blame for what happened. But your total payout will be cut down in line with how much fault your lawyers and a judge or jury decide you had – and it won’t be cut down if you were 51% or more at fault.
For example, let’s say you walk alone in a parking lot that isn’t well-lit. A jury decides you were 20% to blame for walking alone in a poorly lit parking lot, and determined that the property owner was 80% at fault for not providing decent lighting and security measures. In this case, you’d get 80% of your total damages, because the court decided you weren’t 50% or more to blame for what happened.
Even if you were partly to blame, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask the property owner to make things right. Our lawyers will work hard to make sure as little fault as possible is attributed to you, and that as much responsibility as possible is laid at the property owner’s door.
What types of compensation can I get in negligent security cases?
Victims of negligent security can get lots of different kinds of compensation to cover the costs and losses caused by the crime. Economic damages are for things like medical bills to cover emergency treatment and ongoing care, lost wages because you had to take time off work to recover, and diminished earning capacity if you’re permanently unable to do the work you used to do.
Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are for the pain and suffering, emotional toll, anxiety, depression, feelings of anxiety and stress, and other impacts on your life and relationships caused by the crime. And in some cases where the property owner has made some pretty serious mistakes with security, you may also be able to get punitive damages – that’s money to punish the property owner and make sure they don’t get away with this kind of thing again in the future.
How much does it cost to hire a negligent security attorney?
Our law firm handles all negligent security cases on a contingency fee basis – that means you only pay us if we get you some money through a settlement or trial verdict. We also cover all the costs of investigation, expert witness fees, court filing fees, and litigation expenses upfront. So you don’t have to worry about paying for things out of your own pocket, and that means you can focus on getting the best possible outcome without worrying about running out of money.
When you come in for your free consultation, we’ll explain everything in detail and answer any questions you have about how we do things and what costs you might have to pay. Our goal is to make sure that financial worries don’t stop you from getting the justice and compensation you deserve.
Talk to Our Experienced Negligent Security Legal Team Today
Book Your Free Consultation Now!
Don’t let property owners get away with not doing enough to keep you safe from crime. If they’re not installing security cameras, providing good lighting, hiring enough security guards, or maintaining proper security measures, they have to be held accountable for the harm they cause.
Our expert premises liability attorneys have years of experience dealing with these kinds of cases and know exactly what it takes to build a strong case to get you the maximum compensation possible. We’ll look at everything, from past crimes at the property to the standards for security measures, to build a strong case against the property owner.
Zero-cost case evaluation – no upfront costs, no attorney fees unless we win your negligent security case. Available 24/7 to handle serious security cases and preserve crucial evidence. Comprehensive legal services fighting for the maximum compensation you deserve for your injuries and losses.
The statute of limitations in Pennsylvania means you’ve got a time limit to make your claim – two years from the date of the incident. So it’s really important to get in touch with us as soon as you can, to make sure we can preserve evidence, talk to witnesses, and build the strongest possible case for you.
Get in touch with us now on (833) 372-3529. Don’t let crucial evidence disappear while the property owner avoids responsibility!
It’s really important to get moving on a negligent security case. The sooner we can start looking into things, the better we can do to preserve evidence, talk to witnesses, and build a strong case for you. Your safety mattered, and it’s right that the property owner is held responsible for not providing enough to keep you safe.