When Inadequate Security Results in Injuries

• August 10, 2020
• Premises Liability

Can you hold a business owner liable if you are injured on their premises because they failed to provide appropriate security measures?

It is possible and would usually be considered a premises liability claim. Under premises liability, business owners must provide reasonably safe conditions for visitors.

What Are Examples of Inadequate Security?

Inadequate, or negligent, security can involve:

• Lighting in and around the business and/or the schedule for turning lights on and off
• Failure to provide locks on doors and other entranceways
• Failure to keep foliage trimmed
• Inadequate parking lot surveillance
• Inadequate protection or lighting in stairwells
• The presence (or lack of) warning signs
• The frequency of patrols
• Training for security staff
• Policies for how money is handled
• Failure to conduct background checks on a security guard with a questionable or criminal record

We expect to be safe when visiting a business and business owners are expected to, if not eliminate, minimize hazards that can cause injury. This includes having the appropriate security measures in place to ensure you are not at risk of being injured or assaulted.

Injuries caused by inadequate security conditions happen everywhere, at shopping malls/retail stores, hospitals, banks and ATMs, nightclubs and bars, bus and train stations, convenience stores, restaurants, hotels and apartment buildings and many other public places.

Premises Liability

Premises liability laws require property owners to be responsible for protecting visitors from harm and that can also include criminal activity.

In Missouri, premises liability claims are civil lawsuits that may be filed to hold negligent property owners accountable for injuries that occurred on their premises. It must be clear, however, that negligence was a factor in order to hold a property owner accountable for an injury accident.

Premises liability laws can be complex; however, our attorneys know these laws and will help determine who had the “duty of care” to provide security. For that, we will look at things such as:

• the nature of the business (some businesses require more security measures than others)
• the crime statistics and location of the incident
• whether the owner failed to fix a problem (i.e., add better lighting) that could have prevented the incident

Inadequate security can lead to unsafe conditions. Unsafe conditions created by negligence may justify taking strong legal action.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

DO YOU NEED LEGAL ASSISTANCE?

Contact the capable counsel you need now. One of our experienced staff will speak with you personally and we will provide you with a free, no-obligation case evaluation.

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