Premises liability: Inadequate security
If you were injured on someone else’s property, the owner of that property may be liable for your damages. Certain circumstances give away to what is known as a “premise liability” lawsuit, which is one basis for a Texas personal injury lawsuit.
One type of premises liability lawsuit arises when inadequate security contributes to a person being the victim of some type of criminal act. Such criminal acts can include robbery, car theft, assault, kidnapping, rape or even murder.
Many inadequate security claims arise from attacks perpetrated in shopping centers, hotels or apartment complexes. When you are on one of these types of properties, you have a reasonable expectation of security and safety – which means the owner of the property owes you a duty to take reasonable steps to maintain a safe and secure environment.
Factors that can contribute to inadequate security include:
- Lack of trained security staff on the premises
- Poor lighting in parking lots or parking garages
- Inadequate security systems within a building
- Overgrown trees
- Lack of security cameras
If you have been the victim of a criminal act on a premises with inadequate security, contact Fears | Nachawati today for free legal advice about a potential premises liability lawsuit. You will receive a no charge legal consultation from one of our Texas personal injury lawyers. You canemail us at info@fnlawfirm.com or call our toll-free number at 1.866.705.7584.
I think there is a misconception by business owners as to the definition of "reasonable steps".
As the business experiences more crime then they must increase their steps proportionately. Rarely does that mean going from nothing to an armed camp. However, business owners sometimes fail to seek out crime information for their property or the surrounding area on a proactive basis and therefore make no changes at all. There are too many crime information resources that are publicly available to not have a proactive program.
Pat Murphy
LPT Security Consulting