Negligent security is a type of case that falls under the umbrella of premises liability law. In such a case, the plaintiff claims their injury was the result of negligence by a third party that failed to take proper steps to prevent criminal activity on their property.
Here’s what you should know about such cases.
Proving liability
A common scenario here is a person being mugged in a parking lot at a business or apartment community. As the victim, you could argue the owner of the property failed to make the property reasonably safe from criminal activity, or failed to provide adequate warning to people visiting that property of the potential dangers.
This can be difficult to prove. You need to be able to demonstrate in court that the danger was reasonably foreseeable to the defendant, and that you would not have been injured had the defendant taken reasonable steps to make the property safer.
You might, for example, argue that the property owner did not have adequate lighting on the premises, or that they failed to have reasonably functional security features like locks, cameras or gates. If the property owner did not properly restrict who had keys to the premises, including duplicate keys made by tenants, that could also be an issue that you add to your case to prove liability on the part of the property owner.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the property owner to take appropriate measures to ensure that property is safe for all people, be it the physical conditions of that property or safe from potential criminal activity.
To learn more about the steps you can take if you have been injured as a result of negligent security, contact an experienced Sarasota, FL personal injury attorney at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh.