Negligent Security

An experienced attorney knows how to find the facts

Whether you live in an apartment building, or are simply passing through a public area, you have a right to safety. Security guards, cameras, and proper lighting are all ways for property owners to take initiative in providing residents and the public with a safer environment. Crimes in apartment buildings, parking lots and public swimming pools happen too often. Someone could be physically assaulted, robbed, shot, raped or murdered in their own place of residence, or simply while participating in mundane activities. These acts may have been prevented by a property owner taking measures to ensure the safety of the people using or living in their managed area.

Security should always be the top priority for the manager of a property, but too many property owners fail to follow through on their responsibilities. Thankfully, the parties responsible for a lack of security can be held accountable with the proper legal representation. At Johnson Greer Law Group, we handle these cases with the personal attention and respect that they deserve. If you or someone you know has sustained a personal injury due to poor security, contact us for a free case evaluation today.

A negligent security claim usually involves a violent crime such as a shooting, stabbing, robbery, assault, or murder.

What constitutes negligent security?

Security helps to ensure a person’s bodily safety. This can come in the form of security guards, cameras or proper lighting This is especially true for places like the parking lots of shopping malls where someone may be lying in wait underneath a car, or between two parked ones. In a dimly lit or dark parking lot, a shopper can quickly become a target. The same applies to residents and visitors to an apartment building with inadequate lighting, or a lack of cameras that could identify and record the actions of attackers if only they were in working order. Criminals take advantage of these lapses in security to harm people who happen to be in the area.

Some common forms of negligent security include:

Lack of or malfunctioning cameras
Knowingly having cameras that don’t work, providing a false sense of security
No proper lighting
No or poorly trained security guards
Failure to install proper locks, or restrict building access
Failure to install fencing or railings
Improper maintenance of lighting, security systems and locks

You’ve probably seen or been in a dimly lit parking lot. That is not an entirely safe area and the safety concerns that come with this observation should be reported to the property owner or manager. Failure to act on fixing these problems that can result in crimes may make for a negligent security case. If you were the victim of a crime in an area that was lacking in proper security, you need legal representation now. Contact Johnson Greer Law Group today, and speak to an experienced attorney about your rights and the compensation you deserve.

What does the plaintiff have to prove?

Unfortunately, many crimes related to negligent security happen in areas where we are the most often. This means that even the apartment complexes where many Georgia residents live aren’t entirely safe. Every resident has the right to safety, as does anyone else at risk. If a case for negligent security is found, the crime should be proven to be “reasonably foreseeable”. This means that a property owner had reason to know that a crime was likely to be committed but failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it.

Property owners and managers must maintain a safe environment and take reasonable measures to prevent violent crimes. Source: Georgia Code

For example, if the doors in an apartment complex or motel have malfunctioning, unsecured, or no locks, a crime such as a robbery could be foreseeable due to the lack of security. If similar crimes have been committed in the area, this adds to the case against the negligent party. Knowing that similar crimes have been committed around the area may indicate that a crime was reasonably foreseeable. Negligent security crimes often occur in the following areas:

Hotels and motels
Apartment complexes and condos
Parking lots, especially of shopping malls and grocery stores

You’ve been injured, and the property you were on could’ve had the security to prevent it, but the owner or manager fell short. You need the help of an attorney who knows these cases, and knows how to best get you the results you need. Contact us for a free case evaluation today, and demand your compensation. We serve Atlanta and the state of Georgia, and we don’t stop fighting for your case until we’ve gotten results.