Negligent Security Attorney in Atlanta

When you’ve become the victim of a crime that has left you with physical and emotional injuries, you may focus on pursuing justice from the person who hurt you. However, you may also have a legal claim against the owner of the property where the crime occurred if the lack of adequate security at the property made it easy for the crime to occur.

Negligent security claims can involve complicated factual and legal issues. Turn to an Atlanta negligent security attorney from Bayuk Pratt to guide you through the legal process. With over five decades of combined experience, our legal team has worked tirelessly to obtain maximum compensation and justice for our clients. We’ve recovered over $300 million for injured clients, and we know what it takes to win cases.

Our founding partners, Frank Bayuk and Bradley Pratt, were senior partners in two of the world’s most prestigious defense law firms, where they became experts in preparing defense strategies for insurers and corporations. They founded Bayuk Pratt to use their knowledge and insight to fight for those who were harmed by others and give them a unique advantage against insurers and businesses.

If you were injured in a crime that occurred because of negligent security on someone else’s property, you may be entitled to compensation from the property owner. Contact Bayuk Pratt for a free initial case review with a negligent security lawyer in Atlanta. Learn how we can help you pursue financial recovery for your medical bills, lost income, physical pain, and emotional trauma.

Why You Should Hire an Atlanta Negligent Security Attorney

Recovering from injuries inflicted by someone else may involve a long process of medical treatment and therapy. However, when those injuries occurred due to negligent security, you deserve accountability and money from the negligent property owner. Hiring legal counsel can make the recovery process less stressful.

Your attorney can handle all the details of preparing and pursuing your legal claims so you can focus on your treatment, rehab, and therapy. Let an Atlanta negligent security lawyer from Bayuk Pratt help you by:

• Thoroughly investigating your claim to obtain evidence proving that the property owner’s security was negligent
• Identifying other potentially liable parties, such as third-party security companies
• Evaluating legal avenues for obtaining compensation
• Documenting your physical, emotional, and mental injuries and calculating your ongoing and future losses
• Communicating with insurance adjusters, company representatives, and defense lawyers on your behalf
• Fighting to recover maximum compensation for you, whether through a negotiated settlement or by taking your claims to court and trial

What Kinds of Damages Can I Pursue in an Atlanta Negligent Security Case?

When you’re the victim of a crime on another party’s property, and the crime occurred due to negligent security measures, you can file a premises liability lawsuit to pursue compensation. Examples of financial and personal losses you might get money for include:

• Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation, including hospitalization, surgeries, prescriptions, doctor’s appointments, mental health therapy, or physical therapy
• Costs of long-term care for prolonged or permanent disabilities that result from your injuries
• Lost wages or income from missed time from work
• Loss of earning capacity if you become permanently disabled from your job
• Physical pain and emotional distress
• Loss of quality of life due to permanent scarring or disabilities

What Is Negligent Security?

Property and business owners who hold their premises open to the public may have an obligation to provide adequate security measures to keep visitors safe on the property. A property owner’s duty to provide security for the premises depends on the potential risk of criminal activity occurring on the property.

As an example, a bar or a nightclub may have a higher duty than a traditional restaurant to provide security measures, as patrons at a bar or nightclub have a higher risk of becoming overly intoxicated and committing a criminal act. Similarly, a business located in a high-crime area or with a history of experiencing criminal activity may have a higher duty to implement security measures.

Depending on a property owner’s duty to provide reasonable security for their premises, negligent security may occur when a property or business owner fails to provide:

Negligent security can occur when a property has security features that have broken or don’t work, such as when a security camera or light stops working. Having inadequately trained security personnel may also constitute negligent security. Careless behavior by security personnel may also lead to a negligent security claim, such as when security guards fail to monitor surveillance cameras, don’t conduct patrols, or fall asleep at work.

How Can Negligent Security Affect Me?

When you visit a property with inadequate security measures, you face a higher risk of becoming the victim of a crime and being injured by an assailant. Criminals may target properties because they have inadequate security. Adequate security can prevent a crime from happening or stop a crime in progress before the criminal injures a victim.

Where Could Negligent Security Happen in Atlanta?

Various businesses may have negligent or inadequate security measures that lead to visitors or patrons suffering severe trauma because of criminal activity. Common examples of places in Atlanta where negligent security could happen include:

Are Atlanta Apartment Owners Required to Have Security Measures in Place?

An apartment building owner’s responsibility to implement security measures will depend on various factors and circumstances. For example, apartment buildings in high-crime areas may require more extensive security measures, which could include:

• Exterior door access controls to ensure only residents and their guests can enter the building
• Security cameras
• Security guards or a concierge

A building in a low-crime area may not need extensive security measures. However, the apartment owner may have a duty to install low-cost but effective security measures, like adequate lighting or door locks.

Who Could Be Held Responsible for an Injury in a Negligent Security Case?

Depending on the circumstances, different parties may bear liability in a negligent security case. Examples of parties you might hold responsible for your injuries include:

• A property owner, such as the owner of a shopping center, apartment building, or office building
• A commercial business, such as a bar, nightclub, or retail store
• A property management company
• A third-party security company contracted by a property or business owner

Proving liability in a negligent security case will require different kinds of evidence to prove that a property or business owner had a duty to implement security measures on their property. Your lawyer will also have to prove that the owner implemented inadequate measures, and that adequate security could have prevented the harm you suffered. Examples of proof you might need for a negligence security claim include:

How Long Do I Have to File a Negligent Security Lawsuit in Georgia?

Under the statute of limitations in Georgia, you typically have two years to file a lawsuit after you were injured because of someone else’s negligence. If you try to file your case after the deadline passes, the court will likely dismiss your case without a hearing.

Talking to an Atlanta negligent security attorney from Bayuk Pratt as soon as possible after you get hurt on someone else’s property can help you protect your legal options. Our firm can assist you with filing your claim within the limitations period so you can pursue the compensation you deserve in court.

What Are Common Injuries Someone Can Sustain in a Negligent Security Case?

When a property has negligent or inadequate security, a visitor can suffer various injuries as the victim of a crime that would not have occurred but for the negligent security. Examples of those injuries include: