Depending on the circumstances of a criminal act, it may be possible to hold the owner of the property where the crime occurred liable for injuries and losses. If you have been injured by the criminal acts of a third party on another person’s property, you should speak with a lawyer as soon as possible about your legal rights.
Understanding a Property Owner’s Duty to You
Under certain situations, a property or business owner may have a duty to protect lawful visitors from criminal acts of a third party. For example:
- First, an owner may be required to act if an individual, known by the owner to be violent, enters the premises. An example would be if an individual previously thrown out of a nightclub for fighting tries to reenter the nightclub.
- An owner may also be required to act if an individual on the premises behaves in a way that poses a danger to others. For example, if an intoxicated patron at a bar becomes belligerent, the bar owner or manager may be required to act.
- Sometimes the nature or circumstances of the property create a foreseeable likelihood that criminal activity may occur on the premise. When that is the case, the property or facility owner may be required to act. For example, the owner of a parking lot or garage at a mall might be required to take safety measures since that retail property likely
Proving the Property Owner’s Liability
To hold a property or business owner liable for injuries and losses you have suffered due to a third-party’s criminal activity, you must show that, under the circumstances of your case, the property or business owner was required to act to prevent your injury. You must also show that the property or business owner was negligent in not taking reasonable steps to protect your safety.
Examples of negligent security or safety that can lead to injury from criminal or violent activity include:
- Broken locks
- Inadequate or broken lighting
- Broken or damaged gates or fencing
- Insufficient or non-functional security cameras
- Broken or inadequate safety equipment, like alarms or emergency callboxes
- Inadequate numbers of security personnel
- Poorly trained security that fails to appropriately respond to security issues
- Careless or reckless behaviors by security guards, which can include sleeping on the job or being distracted by cellphones or television
Talk to a St. Louis Premises Liability Lawyer Now
If you have suffered an injury on someone’s property due to criminal or violent acts of a third party, you may be entitled to seek compensation from the property owner. Contact the premises liability lawyers at Sumner Law Group, LLC, today for a free consultation to learn about your legal right to financial recovery.
