Wherever you go in our nation’s capital, you should have a reasonable expectation of safety. Property owners can be liable if they don’t have adequate security measures and an assault happens on their premises.
For the best odds of success in an inadequate security claim, you need strong evidence and a skilled legal team. Since 1911, Marks & Harrison’s premises liability attorneys have represented injured clients with dignity and dedication. We have secured multi-million dollar settlements and awards in numerous, highly challenging personal injury cases, including negligent security cases.
We are ready to go to work for you and protect your rights if you have suffered injuries on someone else’s property due to inadequate security. Contact our office today for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer.
What Is the Definition of Inadequate Security in Washington DC?
Property owners in Washington DC must provide appropriate security measures for tenants and visitors. What type of security is reasonable depends on the circumstances, including factors such as the following:
- The property’s location
- The property’s purpose
- History of criminal activity on the property and in the nearby area
- Complaints or issues raised by visitors and staff.
If an owner knows about potential security risks and fails to address them, they may be responsible for injuries resulting from their negligence.
When Is Security Deemed Inadequate?
Every property has unique safety considerations. Ultimately, the owner should implement the same reasonable security measures as other owners in similar circumstances. Inadequate security measures can include the following:
- Poor lighting in parking areas, public spaces, hallways, and stairwells
- Broken locks, gates, security cameras, and access restriction systems
- Not hiring, training, or properly deploying security personnel
- Ignoring recent patterns of criminal activity.
What Are Some Common Causes of Negligent or Inadequate Security?
Property owners who fail to provide adequate security may have several reasons for their negligence. In our experience, the following reasons are common ones:
- Frugality — Cost-cutting measures can impact staffing and security system maintenance. While it’s understandable for property owners to want to keep costs low, they should never compromise visitors’ safety.
- Improper training — If security staff lacks the proper training, they will not be effective at preventing and responding to threats.
- Unwillingness to adapt — Security measures must evolve with a property’s surroundings, along with previous threats and complaints. Property owners who don’t regularly revisit their security strategy may leave tenants and visitors vulnerable to assaults and other safety threats.
What Are Some Types of Locations Where Inadequate Security May Occur?
Negligent security incidents can happen at many different types of properties, including the following:
- Apartment buildings — Inadequate locks and unmonitored entryways can make residents vulnerable to crime.
- Hotels, motels, and resorts — Hotels should keep their facilities well-lit, have a consistent front desk presence, keep room door locks in working order, and restrict access as necessary to protect overnight guests.
- Bars and nightclubs — Bars and clubs should hire bouncers and trained staff to keep customers safe.
- Shopping malls — Malls are large facilities with high foot traffic. Sufficient lighting, security cameras, and regular patrols can deter theft and assaults.
- Parking structures — Proper lighting, monitored security cameras, and clear signage can make a parking garage safer.
What Are Some Injuries That Can Happen Due to Negligent Security?
The injuries in a negligent security case will depend on the type of incident someone faces. These injuries are ones that commonly happen:
- Assault and battery — An assault could involve different types of injuries, from lacerations and fractures to head trauma and internal injuries.
- Sexual assault and abuse — A sexual assault can cause both physical injuries and severe emotional trauma.
- Robbery and theft — Thieves commonly injure targets in the course of their crime, often by pushing them down or using or threatening to use a weapon.
- Assault with a deadly weapon — A gunshot or stab wound can have lifelong (if not immediate) deadly consequences.
How Do You Prove Inadequate Security on a Property Caused Your Injuries?
A negligent security lawsuit is similar to other personal injury claims. To give yourself the best opportunity of obtaining relief in a personal injury lawsuit based on inadequate security and hold negligent parties accountable, you should be prepared to prove the following facts:
- The property owner had a duty to provide adequate security for visitors.
- The owner knew or should have known about potential security threats on their property.
- The owner did not provide adequate security against these threats.
- You were injured.
- The owner’s neglect led to your injury.
Our legal team at Marks & Harrison can handle the investigation on your behalf and gather supporting evidence such as the following:
- Security camera footage
- Eyewitness testimony
- Facility maintenance records
- Internal security documents
- Your medical bills
- Paystubs proving your lost wages.
Your lawyer will advise you on the nuances in Washington DC’s rules of evidence to help you understand what may or may not be admissible evidence if your case should go to trial.
What Sort of Compensation Could Be Sought in a DC Negligent Security Claim?
If your negligent security claim succeeds, you could obtain compensation for all or some of the following damages:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages and earning potential
- Out-of-pocket recovery expenses
- Physical pain
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disability
- Scarring and disfigurement.
An experienced personal injury lawyer at Marks & Harrison can calculate the damages to seek in your case, negotiate with the at-fault parties to pursue the maximum amount of compensation for you, or take your case to trial.
How Long Do You Have to File an Inadequate Security Lawsuit in Washington?
Time is of the essence in a negligent security claim. The greater Washington DC area has multiple jurisdictions with different statutes of limitations. The following deadlines are the primary ones you should know:
- Washington DC — If the incident happened within the Washington DC boundaries, you must file a lawsuit within three years of the injury date.
- Virginia — You have two years from the injury date to file a lawsuit.
- Maryland — You must file a lawsuit three years from the injury date.
Before your lawyer can file a lawsuit, they must investigate your case, write demand letters, and participate in settlement negotiations. The sooner you secure legal representation, the sooner you will protect your right to seek compensation.
Contact a Washington DC Negligent Security Lawyer
If a business’s negligent safety practices caused injury to you, the Washington DC personal injury attorneys of Marks & Harrison can review your case. We are one of the area’s largest personal injury firms, and our lawyers have support from dedicated staff members and investigators with law enforcement experience. Our goal is to treat you with respect throughout the legal process. To learn more, contact us today for a confidential and free consultation.
