Fort Lauderdale Negligent Security Lawyers

These days, security is a prominent sight on the premises of hotels, stores, malls, apartments, restaurants, and plenty of other commercial locations. While security guard training allows these individuals to protect and serve others, there’s still a saddening number of incidents that occur every single year. If you, or someone you love, have been injured as a result of negligent security, this is the guide for you. We’re going to discuss the role of security, determining negligence, examples of negligence, and how you can proceed with a case.

Negligent Security Examples

We’ve seen this term used more and more recently, but it essentially covers a criminal act by a security team member or team hired to protect. Otherwise called inadequate security, it’s a problem that can occur under various circumstances.

For example, as negligent security lawyers, the most common cases we see are:

• Attacks/stabbings on public transport
• Attacks in apartment complexes and garages
• Shootings inside nightclubs and bars (as well as outside in the parking lots)
• Sexual assaults in apartment complexes
• Injuries and incidents at malls, concerts, stores, and other commercial premises

While some people are injured by the criminal acts of the security guards themselves, more often than not it’s negligence that causes the problem. It could be poor security systems, a lack of attention, poor practices, or even inadequate training.

Providing the Right Security

When it comes to commercial premises, the owner or property manager has a certain level of responsibility to keep those on the property safe. While some will have hired security guards watching over the property, other measures will include security fencing, security systems, cameras, adequate lighting, and security gates. Although it’s something we don’t like to think about, owners need to consider rape, stabbings, shootings, robberies, and other criminal acts before then taking action to limit these crimes.

As an experienced inadequate security lawyer, we’ve seen plenty of property owners who don’t take their responsibility to protect from harm seriously. For instance, it might be poor lighting and failed camera systems surrounding an ATM. Elsewhere, it might be failed locking mechanisms in an apartment complex.

Determining Negligence

If you’ve been the victim of an attack or another incident, we highly recommend legal assistance. Why? Because one of the hardest parts of any case is determining negligence. First things first, while you recover, allow us to assess the effort the owner made to keep people safe. This will include reviewing their safety and security measures such as security staff and practices, cameras, emergency exits, lighting, and training.

We’ve focused on various commercial premises in this guide, but we haven’t yet mentioned your workplace. It’s true that your employer can fail in their duty to protect from harm. Again, negligence for your employer depends on the steps they took to foresee potential crimes and then implement the necessary security measures.

When you work with the professionals at The Injury Firm, we’ll take the case step-by-step. Could the incident have been foreseen? Did the owner take the right steps to prevent criminal conduct (as best possible)? Did the owner have a duty of care? In some cases, the owner knew about a problem and failed to act, and this, therefore, makes them negligent. For example, it could be knowing about failed lighting and not fixing it.

At this point, we should note that a judge or jury may apportion fault depending on the case in question. If you could have prevented the incident despite the negligence of the landowner, they may say that the owner is 75% responsible and yourself 25% responsible.

Premises Liability

Sadly, lots of victims of incidents don’t know that they can claim for negligent security. Even though the crime may have been committed by a stranger, this doesn’t mean that you’re on your own in dealing with the consequences. If the criminal act could have been prevented or foreseen, you may get compensation.

In Florida, we have a premises liability statute that puts responsibility for security into the hands of operators, employers, and business owners. Legally, they must offer reasonable security for all those who enter the premises (this includes employees and suppliers just as much as customers!). In an apartment complex, this adequate security should come from landlords.

Even if they don’t visit the physical location themselves, property owners are assumed to be aware of failed security systems on their land, because this is their legal obligation. If it’s determined that they SHOULD have been aware of negligent security, the law calls this ‘constructive knowledge’. If the owner had this knowledge, yet didn’t take the right precautions, this is seen as negligent security.

Working with The Injury Firm

If you recently experienced an injury as a result of what you might think is negligent security, we have the experience and expertise you need. We’ve worked as inadequate security lawyers many times before, and we’re passionate about helping those who are victims not only of the crime but of the negligence of companies and employers around them.

Why go it alone against large companies when you can partner with The Injury Firm? We always put you first, we know what you’re up against, and we have the resources to file a claim on your behalf (and even take your case to court). While you focus on recovery, we build your case, contact potential witnesses, and do everything we can to obtain the compensation you deserve. Depending on the situation, we may be able to obtain compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and pain/suffering. Of course, we’ll prevent the need for a future case by claiming for compensation both now and for expenses that may arise in the future.

If you think you might have a case, allow us to be the negligent security lawyer you need today. It all starts with a simple conversation, and you’ll be under no obligation to choose us at the end of it!  Call today for a FREE Consultation: 954-951-0000.