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Were you injured in Lawrenceville, GA or its surroundings? Our lawyers can help you recover from your losses. We have decades of combined experience handling local personal injury cases.
Having a local Lawyer with experience with and knowledge of the actual value of your case is vital to ensuring you receive the most compensation possible for your injuries.
Our award-winning Inadequate Security Lawyers know the best way to go up against insurance companies because we used to work with them and use that experience to help you win.
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Inadequate security lawsuits often involve holding a business, security company, or common carrier responsible for failing to provide adequate security. If you suffered injuries due to an assault or another crime on business or private property in Loganville, discuss a possible claim with Spaulding Injury Law.
Therefore, the key to winning a settlement is to show that the company failed to follow reasonable precautions to protect the public from criminal behavior. To impose civil liability in a claim, the plaintiff or crime victim must establish negligence, or show that the defendant failed to provide a reasonable level of security.
If the company fails to undertake precautions or provide security to protect a claimant, it can be held liable for the damages resulting from an incident.
Because the federal law does not include a uniform ruling for property owners or businesses that provide security, security litigation is set out by the laws of each state.
Venues that are Responsible for Providing Adequate Security
The duty to exercise reasonable care in protecting people falls on the owners of commercial establishments or businesses that invite customers to their premises. As a result, you can file Inadequate security claims against an apartment community, shopping mall, office building, hotel, or amusement park if you suffer injuries.
The duty to provide sufficient security also applies to common carriers, including trains, planes, shuttles, buses, subways, and taxis. Cruise ships also fall under this type of claim.
In addition, mental health facilities, medical sites, and drug-alcohol treatment facilities also have the duty to protect vulnerable patients, disabled people, the infirm, and the elderly.
Likewise, daycare centers are charged with the responsibility of caring for and protecting children.
As a result, you can find many places where you can make a claim for inadequate security. If you were injured as the result of an assault, robbery, or similar violent attack, you may also have a case that involves inadequate security.
Other places that are responsible for maintaining a standard measure of safety include:
- College dorms
- Gated retirement communities
- Bars and nightclubs
- ATM bank locations
- Casinos
- Bowling alleys
- Parking garages
- Construction sites
- Airports
- Universities
- Liquor stores
- Hotels
- Parking lots
- Movie theaters
- Convenience stores
- Sports stadiums and coliseums
- Concert arenas
- Restaurants
Investigating a Breach in Security
When a victim is injured or killed in one of the above locations, normally, an immediate investigation is held. This is done to find out if adequate security measures were in place at the time of the incident. These measures may include reviewing a venue’s:
- Operational surveillance equipment
- Locks and entryways
- Security personnel
If a victim finds certain measures were not in force, they may be able to file a lawsuit. They may be able to file a claim against:
- The property manager or owner
- An entity which owned or managed the property, or
- A contractor who was responsible for the installation and/or maintenance of security equipment on the property.
Also, organizers or sponsors of concerts and conventions may be held liable. Victims can also sue security companies who employ security guards who acted irresponsibly.
However, that does not mean a crime victim can sue another party and recover civil damages automatically. They cannot recover damages unless they prove a proprietor, owner, event promoter, or security company failed to exert reasonable care in providing the needed protection.
If an owner or proprietor of a property isn’t careful or isn’t on-guard, they can open up their property to problems and lawsuits, especially issues that cover security.
Proving Negligence
Below are the elements the plaintiff must show for inadequate security claims:
- The victim of the crime was supposed to be or had permission to be on the premises at the time of the crime.
- The defendant owed the plaintiff a contractual or legal duty to exercise reasonable care to ensure their premises were safe. Either that or the defendant assumed or undertook a duty of reasonable care to make sure security measures were in effect. This commitment obligated them to offer protection in a responsible and ongoing manner.
- The defendant, in turn, failed to satisfy their duty to protect the victim and keep them safe from criminal or violent acts of either a third-party perpetrator or an employee.
- The crime would not have happened, or the victim would not have sustained their injuries if the defendant had exercised reasonable care or provided adequate security in a prudent and careful manner.
Claims or Allegations in Inadequate Security Lawsuits
An inadequate security attorney can prove inadequate security by basing the lawsuit on one or more of the following claims or allegations.
- Security measures were not adequate, given the pattern of criminal activity on the property or around the premises.
- Certain security measures should have been established in response to previous and similar crimes that had taken place.
- The managers of the property did not assess the potential of criminal behavior against customers, nor did they determine the risks and security measures that needed to be in place.
- Plans to upgrade security were delayed or never enforced so the defendant could save money or increase their profits.
- Security aids, such as video surveillance, an intercom system, fences, metal detectors, door locks, and similar equipment, were found to be defective, out of date, poorly maintained, or inoperable.
- Faulty or broken locks, doors, or windows made it easy for the perpetrator of the crime to gain entry.
- Security alarms, cameras, and surveillance systems were not properly monitored during the time of the crime or the violent activity.
- A corridor, stairwell, entrance/exit, or parking lot was not well-lit or too dark as the result of poor or nonfunctional lighting.
- Customers or tenants were not given sufficient warning about a known and specific hazard or threat.
- The victim did not receive a timely response to calls for help during or after the commission of the crime.
- There weren’t enough security guards on duty when the crime occurred.
- Guards, bouncers, doormen, or other security enforcers were inattentive, absent, incompetent, poorly equipped, unsupervised, or too slow to respond when the crime took place.
- Employees of the security company or the loss prevention staff did not perform routine inspections or failed to lock windows and doors during patrols.
- Inadequate pre-employment screening led to the employment of unqualified and potentially dangerous security personnel.
- Mismanagement of key codes allowed the entry of a criminal perpetrator or an unauthorized employee.
- Poor visitor screening allowed the entrance of a person carrying a weapon or an individual who posed a danger to other visitors and employees.
- Employee IDs were not checked and verified, which allowed an unauthorized person to gain access to a restricted area or another off-limits area of the premises.
- Violent or drug-or-alcohol-impaired people were not subdued, controlled, arrested, or escorted off the premises. This led to the victim’s injuries.
- Crowd control measures were not sufficient because of the understaffing of security personnel or a failure to limit the number of people occupying an area at any given time.
- Local ordinances or building codes, occupancy codes, fire codes, or capacity limits were not enforced at the time of the crime.
- Pass-through windows, bullet-proof glass, or other protective enclosures were not installed to protect employees or cashiers.
As you can see from the list above, you can find several ways to support an inadequate security lawsuit. To learn more about your rights, contact an inadequate security lawyer and get the compensation you need for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and even punitive damages.
Contact an Inadequate Security Lawyer in Loganville Today
In Georgia, contact Spaulding Injury Law for a free consultation right away. Inadequate security claims fall under premise liability lawsuits, so you don’t have to pay your lawyer their fee unless they win your case.
If you’ve been the victim of a crime in a public space, you may need to call an attorney about a security issue as well. Find out about your rights today. You only have two years to file a lawsuit, so the time to schedule an appointment is now.
Visit Our Inadequate Security Office in Loganville
We help victims inside the Gwinnett County Area and our firm is conveniently located near Loganville. We have an office in Lawrenceville at 223 Scenic Hwy S #202 Lawrenceville, GA