Common Examples of Harm Caused by Negligent Security

By Eugene Bruno on March 31, 2023

Property and business owners have a duty of care to keep guests and visitors safe by reasonably maintaining their premises in a safe and secure condition. Negligent security occurs when inadequate security is provided under the circumstances. If you have been a victim of crime on someone else’s property, speak with an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney. You may have a claim for compensation against the property owner or manager.

What Is the Duty of Care Concerning Security?

A property owner’s duty of care concerning security depends on the location of the property, the history of crime, and the crime rate in the neighborhood. For a property or business owner to be held liable for negligent security, criminal conduct has to be reasonably anticipated or foreseeable. The duty of care is what another property owner would have reasonably done to keep the area secure, such as:

• Hiring sufficient security guards
• Ensuring security personnel are qualified and properly trained
• Putting up fences, gates, and barriers
• Installing security cameras
• Installing motion-sensor security technology
• Providing adequate lighting in parking lots and other areas
• Providing proper locks on windows and doors

What Can Go Wrong When Security is Negligent?

When security is negligent, criminal conduct can occur in bars, nightclubs, shopping malls, apartment complexes, motels, nursing homes, hospitals, and commercial properties with parking garages. Examples of the types of things that can go wrong when property owners fail to provide adequate security include:

• Shootings
• Knifings
• Assaults
• Rape
• Robbery
• Muggings

What Evidence Do You Need to Prove Negligent Security?

To establish that the property owner was negligent, you must show that there was a history of crime in the area and a lack of adequate security provided under the circumstances. In other words, you must show that the criminal conduct that caused your injuries was foreseeable. Your personal injury lawyer can investigate to find any known history of similar incidents. If the perpetrator of the crime against you has been criminally convicted, that will not provide you with any compensation, but it may help support your premises liability claim. Business or property owners can be held liable for crimes on the property against guests or visitors if they:

• Failed to use reasonable care to protect tenants, patrons, customers, or guests from criminal conduct; and
• Should have anticipated the risk of such a criminal act.

What Compensation Is Available for Negligent Security?

If you have been injured by criminal conduct on someone else’s property, the compensation you are entitled to claim will depend on the types of injuries you have suffered. Common negligent security damages include:

• Property damage
• Medical treatment
• Lost wages or earnings
• Loss of earning capacity
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Pain and suffering
• Long-term disability
• Wrongful death, in the case of the death of a loved one

How Can a Negligent Security Lawyer Help?

If you have been a victim of crime on someone else’s property, the chances of recovering compensation from the perpetrator are slim, as many criminals are judgment proof. Our San Diego premises liability attorney can help you seek compensation from the property or business owner in a negligent security claim. We can investigate to find evidence that the criminal conduct against you was foreseeable and that the property owner failed to provide adequate security. We can assess the full extent of your losses and effectively pursue the compensation you deserve.

At Eugene Bruno & Associates, we have a 99.7% success rate. We have recovered tens of millions of dollars for our clients. If you have been injured through negligent security, contact us at (619) 209-6066 to find out how we can help.