Can I Sue a Property Owner for Failing to Provide Adequate Security?

Property owners have a responsibility to maintain their property and keep it reasonably safe for visitors, guests, or employees while on their premises. When property owners are negligent in their care and someone becomes injured, they may be held liable under premises liability laws.  

At the Ramey Law Firm, premises liability attorney Hardin R. Ramey helps clients throughout Dallas, TX, recover compensation for injuries resulting from negligent property owners. 

Property Owners and Negligent or Inadequate Security  

Property owners have a duty to keep their property safe. This duty extends beyond maintenance issues, like repairing stairs and fixing leaking pipes, but also includes taking measures to prevent reasonably anticipated criminal acts. This essentially means property owners should take measures to deter criminal activity. If they don’t and someone gets injured on their property, they may be held liable for negligent or inadequate security.

The measures a property owner should take to prevent crime on their property varies based on the surroundings but may include:

• Installing security cameras
• Keeping parking areas and entryways well-lit at night
• Hiring security personnel 
• Installing locks on windows and doors

Negligent Security and the Increased Risk of Criminal Activity

Proper security measures can help reduce the risk of crime happening on someone’s property in Dallas. When a property owner is negligent in providing reasonable security measures, visitors, tenants, employees on the property may be left vulnerable to criminal activity, such as:

• Assault
• Sexual assault
• Robbery
• Shootings

When Can You Sue for Inadequate Security?

In order to sue a property owner for negligent or inadequate security, there are several criteria that must be met:

• A criminal act occurred: A crime, like a shooting or sexual assault, must have occurred to have a negligent security claim. 
• The criminal act caused injury: The criminal act must have caused injuries, such as bullet wounds, traumatic brain injury, or soft tissue damage. 
• The crime and injury happened on someone else’s property: The crime and injury needs to have happened on someone else’s property, like a store, bar, office building, or residential property. 
• The property owners were negligent: The property owner needs to have been negligent in providing reasonably adequate security measures.

Recovering Damages

When seeking damages for injuries resulting from negligent security, it’s necessary to provide evidence that the injuries were caused by a preventable criminal act and that the injuries were sustained on the premises where the incident occurred. 

A premises liability attorney can gather evidence, like medical records and expert witnesses, to help build a strong case to recover such damages as:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Therapy
• Pain and suffering
• Wrongful death

Contact Ramey Law Firm

If you have been injured in a criminal incident on someone else’s property that you believe would have been prevented if adequate security measures were in place, it’s important to speak with an attorney to learn more about your legal options. To discuss your claim, contact Ramey Law Firm in Dallas to schedule a consultation.